Good things often come in small packages.
And a team of 18 graduate students from Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) on Saturday, Oct. 14, unwrapped the prototype vehicle that embodies their vision for the future of BMW’s iconic MINI brand.
The vehicle is the seventh concept model developed as part of Clemson’s Deep Orange program.
Clemson officials, BMW leaders, and others involved in the car’s design and build were also on hand as the students presented the vehicle during a ceremony at the BMW Zentrum beside the German automaker’s Spartanburg County plant.
“This was a great experience,” said Robert Knizek, team leader for Deep Orange 7 and an automotive ergonomics engineer for Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Mich. “The most difficult thing for us was keeping the customer in mind the whole time. We’re all gearheads so it was important for us not to let [what customers want] get too far out of reach. The most important lesson was to know whom you’re designing for. We certainly hope someone will take our ideas and implement them in the future.”
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Deep Orange is the flagship program of Clemson’s two-year master’s degree program in automotive engineering, the university said.
The program gives students exposure to market analysis, target customer profiles, vehicle design, prototyping, and manufacturing. All the while, students have to balance costs and design targets in an “aggressive” timeline, according to Clemson.
Clemson said the prototype portion of the program encourages students to “push the boundaries of conventional design and engineering,”
“Today was phenomenal,” said Johnell Brooks, associate professor of automotive engineering at Clemson. “Our goal is to enable students to share present their views to the industry… The great thing about Deep Orange is that it provides students with valuable real-world experience before they graduate. We hear all of the time from automotive companies who have hired one of our students that they have really hit the ground running.”
The students began working on the Deep Orange 7 MINI in 2014.
They weren’t given a kit, or a stripped down body to reassemble. Brooks said the students built almost the entire car, minus the engine and a few other parts, from scratch at the CU-ICAR facility in Greenville.
The vehicle will be on display at CU-ICAR beginning Monday, Oct. 16.
Project leaders said the MINI was engineered with three goals in mind: targeting the premium U.S. market out to 2025 and beyond; maximizing the use of interior space; and ensuring a fun driving experience.
“The objective was to create a revolutionary MINI technology demonstrator that embodies the potential requirements for the next decade,” said Anand Gramopadhye, dean of Clemson’s College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences. “The project outcome will provide a unique, U.S.-centric view on what could be the next volume MINI.”
Jörg Schulte, manager of research and innovation for BMW, who served as a mentor for the project, said a survey showed that about half of MINI owners in the U.S. today are baby boomers; two-thirds are baby boomers or older; and the average age of current customers is 54.
That means the company’s future success could be determined by its ability to appeal to new customers during the next decade.
“The question is,” Schulte said, “is Gen X and Generation Y and Generation Z; is that iconic MINI from the 60s still going to be relevant for them? Or, what is going to be relevant for them?”
The prominent features of the Deep Orange 7 prototype include:
-An open design with a floating dashboard that creates a single space throughout the entire vehicle, called MINI Open. The traditional hood is replaced with a windshield that reaches all the way to the front of the vehicle and is easily lifted. Occupants are provided with a unique wide-open view outwards.
-This open design enables customers to see/share/store (S³) their prized items in the front of their vehicle as well as in the rear hatch. Items can be displayed or held securely with Origami Storage, a clever and customizable aftermarket solution.
-A scalable powertrain provides the customer the choice of internal combustion engine, two plug-in hybrid options or a pure battery electric vehicle (BEV). The clever design means all four variants can be built on the same vehicle platform. The concept vehicle includes one of the two hybrid options, which was the most challenging to build.
-For the hybrid and BEV variants, electric motor cooling elements are functionally integrated inside the vehicle’s rocker panel, eliminating the need for conventional radiators and giving easy access to the front storage space. Rocker cooling takes advantage of otherwise unused space.
-Engineering the vehicle with manufacturing in mind resulted in a modular architecture concept. Students explored the theoretical concept of assembling the vehicle from four large separate modules.
-A customizable personal virtual companion, MINI FACE, replaces the conventional static instrument cluster and center stack. MINI FACE anticipates the needs of the driver and presents relevant information on a holographic display. Much like theatre scenery, important interactive elements are in the front, while other information remains visible on display layers in the back. Hand gestures are used to interact with the system in three dimensions.
-When parked, the MINI Parking Marshal concept uses its own exterior lights to guide other drivers who are parking in front of or behind it. The lights illuminate incrementally as the other vehicle approaches. The lights encourage drivers to park at an optimal distance. A driving simulator is used to demonstrate this concept.
CU-ICAR said it partnered with ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., on the vehicle’s styling. This provides engineering and design students the opportunity to collaborate just as they would in a real-world design studio, the university said.
ArtCenter has been a strategic partner on multiple previous Deep Orange concepts, according to CU-ICAR.
Knizek said his participation in the program taught he and his classmates how to work on a team with a diverse group of individuals.
He said CU-ICAR’s presence is a boon for South Carolina’s growing automotive manufacturing cluster that is largely based in the Upstate.
Knizek said he believes the program is an important part of the state’s efforts to develop its future workforce in order to remain competitive globally.
“For you [students], it’s the first time in your life that you’ve designed a car,” said Knudt Flor, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing Co., during the ceremony. “Maybe you’re infected and you want to do this for the future. Then you know that we have an open door where everybody can apply for a job at BMW. We need you. We need talents like you for our future.”
