New Mini EV will be built in China; platform shared with Great Wall Motors EV line-up.
Mini is readying the second-gen all-electric Cooper EV and has revealed fresh details about its powertrain. The reimagined Mini Cooper hatchback will provide the foundation for a “revolution” of the BMW-owned brand’s wider line-up as it pushes towards full electrification by the end of the decade.
- All-new Mini EV to debut in May 2024
- Platform shared with Great Wall Motors
- Will be made in China
Next-gen Mini EV will be called Mini Cooper EV
The new Mini Cooper EV will see a global debut in May 2024 followed by the petrol version by next July. For Mini’s heartland hatchback, Mini boss Stefanie Wurst said that the brand has taken it “back to its roots”, with a fresh look and ‘new’ name, and it being officially called the Cooper, rather than the Mini hatchback as before.
A wider track, shorter front overhang, larger wheels and longer wheelbase give it a more purposeful stance over the current Mini Hatch, while still matching its 3.8m bumper-to-bumper length. New disk-shaped daytime running lights – shared with the larger Aceman – surround bulbous headlights to give the smallest Mini a fresh face that’s more recognisably descended from BMW’s first Mini, launched in 2000.
The carmaker will offer the Cooper with both electric and combustion powertrains, told apart only by the exhaust pipes or the lack thereof. But the petrol-powered form will it be sold only with five doors or the option of a drop-top – neither yet previewed. A limited-edition convertible version of the current-gen Mini Electric, however, is tipped to preview a series-production successor later down the line.
Next-gen Mini Cooper production, battery and range
Produced in China and sitting on the all-new Spotlight EV platform created with joint venture partner Great Wall Motors, the electric Cooper will come with a pair of competitively sized battery choices: either 40kWh in the entry-level E or 54kWh in the range-topping SE.
Range will start at 386km (up from the current model’s 241km), As with today’s car, the standard electric Cooper will pack 181hp, with the warmed-up SE upping that figure to 218hp. Only two-wheel drive will be offered.
Mini Cooper EV JCW in the works
A hot JCW version, using the same 54kWh battery as the SE, will arrive in mid-2025 – around a year after the standard cars, with a focus on power over range, suggesting upgraded motors will be fitted. Expect an output around 253hp on this hot performance EV.
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