The new generation of the MINI Cooper is coming and, as is currently the case, it will be available in both petrol and 100% electric versions.
The difference this time, as confirmed by MINI, is that the car was developed from the start to accommodate an electric motor. In fact, the latter will take place in an architecture of its own, jointly developed by BMW and Great Wall Motors of China.
Production will also take place on Chinese soil, while that of the combustion MINIs (with a modernized platform) will still take place in the Oxford plant in the United Kingdom.
Currently, testing continues with winter road tests in northern Sweden to really put the car through its paces. Not just for the electric drive: MINI says driving on frozen lakes and snow-covered roads helps it fine-tune the settings of the suspension, steering and electronic control systems.
Obviously, having a specific platform gives engineers more freedom to integrate the components. Rumor has it that the battery goes from 32.6 kWh to almost 50 kWh, which made it possible to substantially increase the autonomy, currently limited to 183 kilometers. It’s not clear yet if the electric MINI will remain a three-door or if the five-door model will follow suit.
Design-wise, the prototype you see here remains well camouflaged, but the new MINI already showed off last December during another round of testing in China. In addition to the shorter front overhang and the more muscular fenders, we noticed new headlights, a streamlined fascia, a panoramic roof as well as trapezoidal taillights connected by a thick black trim on which the name of the model appears.
Inside, expect the circular interface that houses the central screen to expand and stand out from the rest and also for there to be fewer controls underneath. The photos also revealed the absence of instrumentation behind the steering wheel, visibly replaced by a small head-up display.
Photo: MINI
An official unveiling later this year is entirely possible, but the new MINI won’t go into production until the first half of 2023, according to various sources, and will likely go on sale in Canada as a 2024 model.
By the way, the next generation of the MINI Countryman should arrive around the same time and it too will be available in a thermal or electric version (not just plug-in hybrid as currently). In addition, a concept presaging the arrival of a new crossover, which could resuscitate the Paceman name, will see the light of day in the months to come.