Future cars from BMW’s Mini brand will include an intelligent personal assistant called Spike.
Spike, who’s based on the English bulldog that’s appeared in past Mini ads, will make his first major appearance at the Auto Shanghai International Trade Fair later this month, where he’ll be integrated into the cockpit of the Mini Concept Aceman.
According to Mini, drivers will access Spike on the car’s circular OLED central display and dashboard. According to Carscoops(Opens in a new window), Spike will be included in the 2023 Mini Countryman, the 2024 Mini Cooper, and the Aceman Crossover SUV in 2025.
Mini describes Spike as an “active protagonist in the cockpit,” which is maybe a fancy way of saying backseat driver? He’ll also take center stage as a “characterful companion for the user experience,” the company says, which seems similarly meaningless.