If you’re not already acquainted, Spike has been Mini’s bulldog mascot because the trendy Mini was launched again in 2001. It’s not precisely probably the most well-known mascot on this planet, as evidenced by the truth that the one article we’ve got that mentions Spike is a 10-year-old put up from a time when a author by the identify of PRBot nonetheless labored right here (RIP). Presumably, he’s extra well-known amongst precise Mini homeowners. And quickly, in the event you purchase a brand new Mini, he’ll even be your new digital private assistant.
Mini says Spike’s design was impressed by English bulldogs, which is sensible since Mini continues to be ostensibly a British automaker although it’s owned by BMW.
Anyway, the place had been we? Oh yeah, Mini’s new digital private assistant. Spike will likely be launched on the Shanghai auto present this month within the cockpit of the Mini Aceman idea, displaying up on the infotainment display and driver show. Spike will then later present up in future manufacturing Mini fashions as a “digital companion” that may present “various forms of support.” You know, similar to Microsoft’s Clippy.
“Mini will always be synonymous with emotions and remarkable experiences,” stated Oliver Heilmer, Head of Mini Design, in a press release. “That’s why we are now taking Spike into the future as a digital character. And he is not just a design experiment – he is becoming a characterful companion for the user experience.”
Source: jalopnik.com