Mini has released a pair of detail design sketches as an initial preview of the first fully-electric model from the OEM. Following on from the Mini E pilot project 10 years ago and the Mini Cooper S E Countryman All4 plug-in hybrid model on sale since 2017, the battery-electric Mini with battery-electric drivetrain represents the next stage in the electrification of the Mini brand and forms part of the BMW Group’s Number One > Next strategy.
“Mini is an urban brand and the fully-electric Mini the logical next step into the future,” said Oliver Heilmer, head of Mini Design. “These initial sketches for the fully electrified Mini outline our vision of authentic design creating a bridge between the history of the brand and its electric future.”
The sketches show the car’s grille. Its hexagonal form is a signature Mini design element, but the closed-off interpretation is all new. Behind the grille, cooling elements are conspicuous by their absence – which means the grille can stay closed and therefore improve airflow.
The second sketch shows the wheel design of the fully-electric vehicle, which has been carried over from the Mini Electric Concept – unveiled for the first time last year – into the production model.
BMW announced the development of a pure-electric Mini production model in 2017. The first volume-produced Mini with a battery-electric drivetrain will hit the roads in 2019 – 60 years after the classic Mini went on sale.
Based on the Mini three-door, the electric model will roll off the assembly line at Plant Oxford in the UK. Its drivetrain will be produced at Plants Dingolfing and Landshut – the competence centers for electric mobility within the BMW Group’s production network.
