Thanks for posting that! Although most (all?) the information isn't really new news, that's the clearest description I've seen yet of Mini's plans for the immediate future. The only questions I'm left with are: 1) will or will not there be an EV version of the hatch based on the reworked version of the F56 built in Oxford? and 2) how will they be able to extract equal/better performance out of the Chinese-built EV if it uses a less powerful motor? (Obviously possible if they can somehow make it lighter while still increasing the range, but that's a bit of a challenge. Alternatively, are they willing to accept a slower base model since they will reportedly also be offering a JCW version?) ETA: So re-reading the article again, the ICE version will also be getting smaller, with a shorter front overhang, bigger screens, etc., just like the Chinese-built EV. Aside from the powerplant, the real distinction therefore seems to be simply where the car is built. (Good news for fans of the ICE version, in any case, as many have complained that the current car is too big, at least on the outside, and despite the appeal of the interior design elements, the tech is falling behind the times.)
For those who want to see the difference in size, I Photoshopped an image of this disguised MINI EV prototype in front of the current SE and posted it here. I agree with @CuriousGeorge that depowering from 181 hp to 169 hp while adding a larger (almost surely heavier) 250-mile battery doesn't sound like a formula for increased performance.
...although it's only ~200 EPA miles, so there's that. The article also quotes a 0-31 mph time of 3.8 s for the Ora Kat, versus the 3.9 s it reportedly takes the SE to go from 0 to 30 mph. So, maybe 169 hp is still enough to match the current performance?
The article also talks about S and JCW versions of the electric Mini. So maybe the new engine is the equivalent of the non-S version. Or just the MINI E to be followed later by a MINI SE.
Time will tell if there's much of an ICE market in 5 or 10 years. The performance gains and lower cost of ownership of BEVs could cause rapid tastes in consumers, once going mainstream in the consciousness of the general public (see Norway as an example).
But no company dares* to make a BEV competitor for the MINI Cooper SE. *OK, no company sees competing with the MINI Cooper SE as a path to untold riches.
Actually, the SE is quoted as 3.9s from 0-60kph, 31mph = 50kph. I'm assuming the actual figures are both as incorrect as the other - the SE is more like 3.3s 0-60kph. So this means that the SE will be a fair bit quicker.
Assuming enough batteries are available. We could be facing a situation where the demand for BEVs is too high for supply, and demand for ICE drops precipitously. So take the current production shortage and extend it over years. That's not a great scenario.
All I know is that I was able to order my SE and it will be more than adequate for a few years. I’ll just roll along in a Mini for a few years and see what’s going on in 2028. Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
I’m disappointed. I thought I had read somewhere that MINI was planning to electrify their whole lineup by 2025. I was excited by the idea of an electric convertible MINI SE! This article suggests only two of the five MINIs will be EVs. 2.5 if you count the Countryman PHEV.
I wondered if there are any convertible cars made in China and I googled up this Mini EV Cabrio! Unfortunately, it's not really a MINI; it's made by Wuling Motors, a joint venture with GM, and it's full name is the Hongguang Mini EV Cabrio. MINI appears to have talked Great Wall Motors into shrinking their Ora "Cat" EV. Maybe MINI can help them to find a way to lop off the top, too.
According to BMW blog (which is probably the article you saw) - Mini ICE model phase out is in 2025. So I guess they are doing a few more years of new ICE.
