Looks like Mini Cooper lives

GvilleGuy said:
I look forward to seeing a production model to make a better informed opinion. But these photos are definitely interesting.
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That white MINI Cooper S looks like a production model to me. Production for which countries is another question. How many different MINI Coopers that are nearly the same size will there be in this world clamoring for pickup trucks, crossovers, and SUVs?
 
I really like the clean, uncluttered look of this preproduction model. It looks really good in white. Is that a standard MINI color? It looks whiter to me than the usual MINI white.

As the MINI goes global it is not surprising they would dispense with the Union Jack tail lights. Gone, but not forgotten!

Do you think we will eventually be able to simply order an SE on Alibaba?


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
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Jim In Tucson said:
I really like the clean, uncluttered look of this preproduction model. It looks really good in white. Is that a standard MINI color? It looks whiter to me than the usual MINI white.
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The Biogena company ordered a big fleet of SEs and they chose a real white (with a turquoise hatch) rather than the MINI's normally available White Silver Metallic (which was the only color we saw on all the press cars before deliveries began in March of 2020).

upload_2021-12-10_21-39-20.webp
How difficult was it to stage this photo? Did they trailer all the MINI Coopers to this site? How long did it take to line them up?
 
The MINI Clubvan is the the only model I know of that came in "white", but I could be mistaken. I have a Silver White Clubman which can seem bluish in bright light, but the classic whitish color for MINI is Pepper White which is a cool darker white.

 
So the HUD has not changed, it is still not integrated into the windshield. The white one has no hood scoop while the camouflaged ones have hood scoops still. The toggle switches have gone bigger.
 
Check out the interior pictures of the ORA Cat here:

https://www.carscoops.com/2020/09/chinas-ora-good-cat-is-a-vw-beetle-and-fiat-500-inspired-ev/

The display(s) look very much like those in the original spy shots of the new SE (which of course makes perfect sense). Those have now apparently been replaced with a Mini-specific dash, round central display, and steering wheel. What caught my eye, though, are the centrally located toggle switches, which appear (so far) to have been directly carried over to the Mini.
 
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CuriousGeorge said:
Check out the interior pictures of the ORA Cat here:

https://www.carscoops.com/2020/09/chinas-ora-good-cat-is-a-vw-beetle-and-fiat-500-inspired-ev/

The display(s) look very much like those in the original spy shots of the new SE (which of course makes perfect sense). Those have now apparently been replaced with a Mini-specific dash, round central display, and steering wheel. What caught my eye, though, are the centrally located toggle switches, which appear (so far) to have been directly carried over to the Mini.
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Yeah, the Chinese made car definitely disappoints. The question is what happens now with the Global car that they will keep selling. If i see these pics two months back. I would be a happy camper with my SE. Of course now i am aiming for the Taycan. Just pray that when i order, it would be more updated. I know that there are small update next year.
 
Smart Wannabe said:
The question is what happens now with the Global car that they will keep selling.
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Although built on a different platform, the ICE version is supposed to almost indistinguishable from the future EV, at least on the outside. Whether the interiors are similar is another question, but I'd be surprised if it were markedly different. After all, the spyshots of this EV's interior seem to align with statements and styling exercises from BMW about "minimalization while maintaining classic design elements" and "sustainability" (i.e., fabric/synthetic instead of leather).

TL,DR: slap an exhaust on this white car, and I think you're looking at the next-gen ICE.
 
CuriousGeorge said:
According to the Motoring article, it only tilts, and doesn't slide open. That's a negative in my book, but the rumored 200 mile EPA range and greater power outweigh that disadvantage in my book.
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Have the battery capacity and motor size for the new version been confirmed then? I didn’t think they had?
 
CuriousGeorge said:
According to the Motoring article, it only tilts, and doesn't slide open. That's a negative in my book, but the rumored 200 mile EPA range and greater power outweigh that disadvantage in my book.
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Where did you read about greater power? I read 169 hp and assumed the greater range was due to the smaller draw on the battery.
 
CuriousGeorge said:
Personally, I find it an interesting, or at least imaginative, solution to the question of, how to keep the quirkiness of the original Mini alive in the new era of EVs with touchscreens/tablets in/on the dash?
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I agree with you completely on the quirkiness issue. I read somewhere that the round middle touchscreen will be sort of like an erasable slate, and the owner will be able to "paste" data, images, controls and etc. wherever he/she wants to on the available real estate of the screen.

All of that said, it still isn't my cup of tea (pun intended).
 
SpeedyRS said:
Have the battery capacity and motor size for the new version been confirmed then? I didn’t think they had?
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Sorry, interthreaduality...I was primarily going by the statements in this recently-shared article:

https://www.motoringfile.com/2021/12/10/uncovered-all-new-2024-electric-mini-hatch/

FWIW, this is the only place I've read anything about the sunroof not opening fully, but rumors about greater range and power have appeared elsewhere (which doesn't mean that they are true, of course).
 
Thanks for posting that. It’ll be interesting to see how much of this is accurate. It seems to say that performance will be better, but then says it has the 169bhp Ora Cat motor which is obviously smaller than the current one from the i3S, and it’s almost certainly going to need a much larger (heavier) battery pack if the rumoured 200-250 mile range is to be achieved. Mini could have provided that with the current gen car, but would have lost the Mini feel and space in the car, so it’ll be interesting to see how they juggle those things on the new version. If it’s designed from the ground up as an EV then packaging the batteries shouldn’t be too difficult, but the additional weight could still be an issue.
The fact that it’s Chinese built isn’t necessarily a problem as I have a house full of Apple kit which has great build quality and is built in China.
 
My assumption is that the base will use the Ora Cat's 169 hp motor, with the S and possible JCW versions using a larger motor(s?). You're right, though, to achieve 200 mi range will likely mean a somewhat heavier vehicle (as has been discussed here before).
 
CuriousGeorge said:
My assumption is that the base will use the Ora Cat's 169 hp motor, with the S and possible JCW versions using a larger motor(s?). You're right, though, to achieve 200 mi range will likely mean a somewhat heavier vehicle (as has been discussed here before).
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Of course, MINI wants to offer a longer-range version after all the bad-mouthing of the current SE's 110/114-miles/charge range. However, if the result is a tiny car that weighs as much as the quicker Tesla M3, what's the point? The point can't merely be small size because small isn't popular these days. I believe next-gen battery technology will be required to produce a desirable 200-mile, 3,000-lb MINI Cooper SE replacement. I hope it doesn't have to be taller than the current SE to accommodate a flat battery pack underneath the cabin.
 
CuriousGeorge said:
Right, but Minis have a reputation for "go-kart like" handling, which the Tesla model 3 (your comparator) does not.
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That reputation is why I ordered my SE 6 months before production began. I worry that reputation will be difficult to maintain with an extra 500 lbs of batteries. Maybe MINI will make a long-range SE for those who don't care much about lightness and a sport version with 115 miles of range for those who do.
 
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