Sir Alec meet Apple?

"Mosqvich" (mosqvich)
08/07/2013 at 09:45 • Filed to: Mini, BMW, iOS7, Apple, Vision, Alec Issigonis

Sir Alec Issigonis, CBE, FRS, RDI, if he were still with us, would turn 107 on November 18th. Way back in 1956 Issigonis worked on the XC/9003 project at the British Motor Corporation which became the first Mini. The car was produced by Morris and Austin in 1959. The Mini went on to become the best selling car in British history selling well over 5.3 million copies. So the modern day Mini, owned by BMW, decided it would be a good idea to introduce the next generation Mini on Sir Alec's birthday at its Oxford plant and with a party to be celebrated that evening in London.

Back in July Mini released photos of the Mini Vision which probably gives us a pretty good idea of what the car will look like. Mini is focusing the introduction on a new infotainment system. In the photo set from the Vision there is a pretty wild looking interior. It doesn't seem likely the production version will be quite as flamboyant. However, there are indications it could be one of the first vehicles to feature an infotainment system closely aligned with Apple's new iOS7. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! reported "According to people familiar with the plans, Apple is working with car makers on updated versions of car center consoles that could attach to iOS devices like the iPhone. Specifically, an iPhone could be plugged into a car and an optimized, redesigned version of Apple Maps will appear on the car’s built-in display instead of a proprietary GPS system found in many cars." The report indicates Mini parent BMW is one of those car makers. Perhaps Mini's choice of words including "a new era of driving excitement, in-car-infotainment and premium quality in the small car segment is drawing ever closer" is in an indicator of striking out to be the first car maker to partner with Apple and benefit from its reputation for high-end design and quality. Could this mean Mini is hoping to be the launch vehicle for iOS7? It's pure speculation, but there are indications.

Here are some photos of the Mini Vision Concept to give you an idea of some of the changes we might see in November.