The reinvention of British marque Mini as an EV-only brand has accelerated with the debut of the new Mini Cooper electric hatchback and the new Mini Countryman.
Unlike the old Mini Electric, which was a direct ICE to EV conversion, the new three-door electric hatchback sits on a bespoke EV platform. This has been developed by Spotlight Automotive, a China-based joint venture between Mini's parent firm BMW and Great Wall Motor.
- New Cooper electric gets up to 402km range
- Gets an all-new circular 9.4-inch touchscreen
- WIll launch in India by Q3 2024
Mini Cooper electric exterior design
The new Cooper electric showcases Mini’s new Characteristic Simplicity design language, which creative chief Oliver Heilmer said is focused “on the essentials of the brand”. The Cooper electric builds on Mini’s trademark design themes with circular headlights – but without any bezels – and a new octagonal front grille that has grown larger in size and gets blanked-out surfaces.
The exterior is free of chrome, the wheel-arch trims have been removed and the door handles now sit flush. Even the signature faux air vent on the front fenders have been given a miss for a Mini-malistic design, as the brand would like to call it. At the rear, the tail-lights have been completely redesigned with a new triangular shape, the internals of which can be personalised. The roof gets a floating effect, thanks to the blacked-out pillars. As for dimensions, the wheelbase has grown larger to make space for the battery, but overall length has actually come down.
Mini Cooper electric interior and features
The minimalist interior design echoes that of the original BMC Mini of 1959, featuring a round instrument cluster above a bar of toggles. The curved dashboard has a knitted textile surface and a 9.4-inch OLED infotainment touchscreen, claimed to be the first circular one fitted to a production car. The previous Cooper also had a circular infotainment housing, but the screen was a traditional landscape unit.
The software is Mini’s latest Android-based operating system that has been developed with Samsung. Keeping up with the theme of minimalism, the instrument cluster has been given a complete miss, but what you get is a reflective panel for the head-up display ahead of the steering wheel, which too is all-new and a lot sleeker than before. There are also plenty of textured surfaces all around the cabin that add a flair to its character.
Mini Cooper electric powertrain and range
The Cooper electric will be available in two variants. There’s a base Cooper E that has a 184hp, 290Nm front-mounted motor and a 40.7kWh battery, giving it a claimed range of 305km – substantially more than the old Electric. The higher-spec Cooper SE produces 218hp and 330Nm, which is enough for a 0-100kph time of 6.7 seconds, and a 54.2kWh battery that gives it a claimed range of 402km. They can be charged at a fast rate of only 95kW, with 10 to 80 percent coming up in under 30 mins.
Both variants will offer various Mini Experience modes that bring their own displays and powertrain characteristics, including a new Go-Kart Mode. The various driving modes are also complemented by new digital driving sounds.
Notably, the new Cooper electric will exist alongside a new petrol-engined Cooper hatchback that will be visually identical, but based on the current ICE Mini platform and produced in Oxford.
Mini Cooper Electric India launch
Mini already has the outgoing Cooper SE on sale in India, and this new-generation model is headed here as well. Mini will launch the new Cooper electric in India between third quarter of 2024, and its likely to continue to exist in a niche of its own as it does currently.
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Viraaj Bhatnagar
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