The 2025 Mini Cooper Will Be All Fun and Games

• The 2025 Mini Cooper interior features a large customizable display that works as a central information hub.

• The new Cooper will introduce the Mini Operating System 9, which is an Android-based platform, as well as BMW tech like the AirConsole video game tool.

• AirConsole allows you to play alone or with friends using smartphones inside the vehicle. Games range from kart racing to puzzles.
  

While we’re still waiting to see what the 2025 Mini Cooper is going to look like on the outside, we finally have a good grasp on what will fill the cabin. The next Mini Cooper is going to lose its traditional instrument cluster and move all of that pertinent information to the large, 9.4-inch screen mounted in the middle of the dash. Dubbed the Mini Interaction Unit, this big screen is responsible for relaying pertinent driving information and all of the added features you’d expect from a car in the near future.

According to Mini, this screen offers nine different layouts, or as Mini calls them experiences. These experiences change the color palette on the design of the screen but still keep key information like your vehicle speed in the same location. While essential information like climate control and speed is unchanged on the outer edge of the circular screen, the inner circle changes its layout based on what experience you choose.

For example, the Go-Kart mode turns the screen into a massive speedometer, whereas the Green mode tells you your efficiency. Mini also includes a Personal mode, which as the name suggests lets you customize your screen and can add an uploaded picture to the background.

More important than how the screen looks, is how it functions. Mini says this redesigned platform is running the new Mini Operating System 9, which was developed in-house by Mini but is based on the Android Open Source Project. This new platform helps Mini run its cloud-based navigation and its new Connected Store, but the most interesting new feature heading to Mini’s infotainment system is the Air Console.

Mini’s AirConsole is just like BMW’s AirConsole, allowing folks in the car to play video games on the screen. Obviously, this is terrifying if you could do this while the car is in motion, but we’re sure the folks at BMW and Mini have made that impossible. The AirConsole system allows you to play alone or with friends using smartphones inside the vehicle. The games range from kart racing (similar to Mario Kart) to puzzles and everything in between.

If you don’t care about cloud navigation or video games, there is something worth noting that’s making its way to the new Mini screen: Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Both of these systems can help you access all the functionality of your phone, without ever touching it.

Even though the Mini interior is updated for the future, it seems like the designers are sticking with its quirky styling. We don't know how exactly the beloved Mini shape will be reflected in the sheetmetal, but we'll find out when Mini unveils its new machine.

Do you think people should be able to play video games on their infotainment screens? Tell us your thoughts below.