The MINI Cooper SE is based on the MINI 3 door. It looks very similar to the regular MINI except for some subtle changes. It will likely use the BMW i3 powertrain.
As concerns for the environment grow by the day, more and more manufacturers are jumping into the electric car game. This has almost become a race of which manufacturer can come up with electric cars at the earliest and make it available to the world. Well, this time its MINI who has an electric car to show-off and its called the Mini Cooper SE which will be unveiled in July 9, 2019.
Mini first showcased the MINI E pilot project almost ten years ago. The MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 plug-in hybrid then went on sale in 2017. This new MINI with fully battery-electric powertrain thus represents the next phase in electrification for MINI. The MINI Cooper SE will go into production at the British plant in Oxford from November 2019.
The MINI Cooper SE is based on the MINI 3 door. With one glance at it, you wouldn’t be able to tell that its the electric sibling of the Mini Cooper. Look closer and you might start noticing some subtle differences. The grille has been closed-off because of course, there is no engine. The bumpers have been redesigned slightly as the air intakes have been omitted.
At the rear, there are no exhaust pipes. There’s a tweaked rear clip with a rear diffuser giving the car a muscular look. The bolt-on side panels are made of fiberglass to keep the overall weight in check because the batteries already weigh a lot. The MINI EV Concept even had LED tail lamps with an interesting Union Jack Pattern.
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MINI promises that the Cooper SE will have the signature ‘go-kart’ feel of a MINI, only that it will be much greener. It will also be high on materials with an expressive design philosophy. The electric powertrain is expected to provide spontaneous power delivery with lots of torque on offer right from the word go.
Although MINI hasn’t revealed any technical details about the electric powertrain, we can pretty well guess that it’s going to be same motor from the BMW i3. In fact, the MINI Cooper SE will be the second fully electric model in the BMW group. It is speculated that the MINI will feature a 33.8kWh battery with a driving range of around 320km. The electric motor could produce 181bhp and 270Nm of torque, similar to the one in the BMW i3.
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With the MINI Cooper SE unveil, MINI brings ‘the iconic design, city-dwelling heritage, and customary go-kart feeling’ to the electric car range. If MINI delivers, we would only be happy. If the future is electric, it might as well be fun and MINI could definitely show the way to others.
