MINI Turns Munich into a Stage at IAA Mobility

At the 2025 IAA Mobility show in Munich, MINI isn’t just unveiling new models—it’s transforming an entire district into a themed performance. The heart of the message is centered on two John Cooper Works concept cars and an “Open Space” area designed to recreate the spirit of London, where humor, heritage, and electric cars blend into a soft-focus PR dream.

The main attractions are two new JCW concepts, developed in collaboration with a “world-famous lifestyle brand” whose name, curiously, goes unmentioned in the press release. These cars supposedly channel the momentum of McLaren’s success at the Nürburgring 24 Hours—though it’s worth noting we’re still talking about MINI, not a race team.

The vehicles are on display inside a fully reimagined MINI pavilion, a space devoted entirely to the JCW brand. Whether these cars will ever reach production or remain stage props is, for now, an open question.

The Open Space area builds a “metropolis within the metropolis”—a theatrical rendition of central London set against the backdrop of the Bavarian State Opera and Residenztheater. Exhibits lean heavily on MINI’s British heritage and its self-styled “humor in the details.”

Three fully electric models take center stage: the MINI JCW Electric, the Aceman SE, and the Countryman SE ALL4. All three are available for on-site test drives through a partnership with SIXT, giving visitors a chance to see how much “go-kart feeling” still remains.

So this isn’t a product showcase—it’s a scripted performance. Recreating London in the heart of Munich is ambitious, if not slightly theatrical. And when the headline value of two concept cars is their tie-in with a lifestyle brand, it’s clear that the focus lies more on image than engineering.