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Updated Mini coming to South Africa – The details

The BMW Group has announced that an updated version of the Mini will be available in South Africa from June 2021.

The new Mini 3-Door, 5-Door, and Convertible feature a “strikingly purist design” and a range of new smart features – including an enhanced operating system with additional digital services.

At the centre of the new interior is an upgraded 8.8-inch touch display, while the controls for the audio system and the touch-sensitive favourite buttons are “integrated flush into the high-quality Piano Black high-gloss surface”.

An LED decor ring then surrounds the centre instrument cluster and can be set to correspond to the operation of the air conditioning, among other things.

“If the heat output is increased, the display moves to the red area. If the desired temperature is reduced, the display again moves to the blue area,” said the company.

This is shown in the image below.

Operating system

The updated operating system in the Mini has been set up to deliver a new user experience.

This includes an intuitive user interface with a modernised layout, and support for live widgets.

When a user swipes on a widget, the desired function is enlarged in the centre of the display.

“This means that operation in the Mini is even more closely aligned with the user behaviour familiar from smartphones and other digital devices.”

Applications which receive widgets as standard include the Media, Communication, Navigation, and Vehicle Settings options.

Mini Connected Apps and Messages are also supported, said the company.

Mini Cooper SE

In the all-electric Mini Cooper SE, the centre display provides additional information about the energy flow and range of the car.

Options to change the driving mode and the Range Assistant – which checks whether a destination can be reached with the available energy in the car – can also be accessed via the display.

The company stated upgrades to the Mini smartphone app have been implemented, too, with a wide range of options available to drivers.

“It acts as a universal interface to the vehicle. This means, for example, that information on the vehicle status can be called up on the smartphone and remote services such as locking and unlocking the doors can be activated.”

Additional features supported by the Mini app include:

  • Remotely activate the climate control
  • See the charging status of your car and its current range
  • Contact Mini service partners

The updates listed above will be effective for cars sold in South Africa from June 2021, said the company.

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