MINI Countryman Electric confirmed, to launch in 2023 [Update]

Update: ‘Design & Interior’ section updated with ‘Alloy wheels made with 100% green power’ section.

The new MINI Countryman will be the third generation of the British brand’s largest model and will grow into a proper SUV, spawning the first-ever MINI Countryman Electric.

Positioning

The 2023 MINI Countryman will measure bigger than the second-gen model, Bernd Körber, Head of MINI, told autoexpress.co.uk in 2020. The Countryman will move half a segment above. Further, Körber said that the 2023 MINI Countryman will belong to the BMW X1 class (compact or C). For reference, the Mk2 Countryman measures 169.7 inches in length, 71.7 inches in width, and 61.3 inches in height, and has a 105.1-inch wheelbase. While the Countryman will grow moving to its next generation, the hatchback (next-gen MINI Cooper Electric) will see a reduction in exterior dimensions. This will create enough space for the rumored MINI Paceman electric SUV-coupe to join the range.

Design & Interior

The next-gen MINI Countryman, including its electric variant, will draw inspiration from the all-new MINI Hatch due in 2023. Spy pictures have leaked the 3-door model’s exterior and confirmed an evolutionary design upgrade. The next-gen Countryman could feature a similar angular hexagonal grille, round headlamps with a rectangular main light cluster, and triangular vertical rear combination lamps.

Interior spy shots indicate a familiar look but with subtle changes like a slimmer dashboard, larger touchscreen infotainment system, old-school toggle switchgear in the center console, horizontal outer-end AC vents, and a new two-spoke steering wheel.

Dimensions

According to a report Autocar published in March 2021, the next-gen MINI Countryman will measure at least 4.5 meters or 177.2 inches long. That would mark a significant improvement of 0.2 meters or 7.9 inches over the current Euro-spec model, meaning better legroom and knee-room and maybe more cargo volume. The icing on the cake is the character of the MINI Countryman which will also see a major change such that it looks more like an SUV than a crossover.

A newer report from Autocar UK (filed in March 2022) says that the next-gen Countryman could have a 200 mm (7.9-inch) longer wheelbase (current model: 2,670 mm or 105.1 inches). While making more room for passengers and luggage, increasing the length between the axles would allow packaging a large battery pack under the cabin floor comfortably. That said, engineers wouldn’t shove in a 100 kWh pack, like in the iX, as that would drive the cost up considerably.

Alloy wheels made with 100% green power

The next-gen Countryman will be BMW Group’s first model to adopt light-alloy cast wheels made from 70% secondary aluminum in 2023. Compared to conventional production processes, combining 100% green power for making these wheels and using 70% secondary raw material content in the process can reduce CO2 emissions. From 2024, BMW Group will cast aluminum wheels made with 100% green power in all MINI (and BMW) models. This is one of the various measures the company has taken to reduce emissions throughout the BMW Group Supplier network by 20% from 2019 levels by the end of the decade.

Platform & Range

The next-gen MINI Countryman will be based on the new multi-energy FAAR platform, an updated version of the current model’s UKL platform. This won’t be a skateboard designed only for electric vehicles, as you would find under a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or a Mercedes EQS.

The nearly two-year-old Volvo XC40 Recharge offers a range of 418 km (260 miles)*, while the Mercedes EQA that debuted in January 2021 can travel 426 km (265 miles)* on a full charge. Moreover, the latter would gain a variant that can do 500+ km (311+ miles)* this year. For competitiveness, the MINI Countryman Electric also should achieve a maximum range of around 500 km (311 miles)* in the range-focused configurations.

*In the WLTP cycle

MINI Countryman Electric production

The MINI Countryman BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) will be manufactured at the BMW Group’s Leipzig plant in Germany. Image: BMW Group Investor Presentation (April 2022).

In November 2020, BMW Group announced that the third-gen MINI Countryman range would encompass a MINI Countryman EV. The BMW Group Plant Leipzig (Germany) will be the mother plant of both the next-gen MINI Countryman and the first-ever MINI Countryman electric, with the production of the new generation cars beginning in 2023.

MINI is going all-electric

Of the three BMW Group brands, MINI will go fully electric first. The German conglomerate has revealed that all MINI models from the early 2030s will run only on electricity. The company plans to cease the development of combustion-engine models in 2025. Even the last combustion engine MINI will have an electrified variant.

MINI will be the first BMW Group brand to go fully electric. MINI is perfect for the city – and for e-mobility. We will be releasing the last model with a combustion-engine variant in 2025. By the early 2030s, MINI will be exclusively fully electric.

Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management, BMW Group, at the annual conference in March.

Oliver Zipse, Chairman – BoM, BMW Group, reiterated the company’s commitment towards converting MINI into an EV-only brand early next decade during its Q2 2021 earnings conference call.

From the early 2030s, it will be our first all-electric brand – without any disclaimers. Because MINI fans are mainly active in urban spaces.

Oliver Zipse, Chairman of BoM, BMW Group (Q2 2021 earnings conference call)

BMW Group E-Mobility Roadmap

BMW Group’s E-Mobility Roadmap confirms the launch of the MINI Countryman electric SUV in 2023. Unlike crossovers like the Megane E-Tech or the Ioniq 5, it won’t ride on a dedicated EV platform. Image: BMW Group Investor Presentation (April 2022)

BMW Group aims to convert at least half its annual sales to pure electric vehicles by 2030. The company will expand the BEV portfolio to 13 vehicles by the end of 2023, with which the company projects covering about 90% of its current market segments. The MINI Countryman electric would be among the final models in this launch cadence.

When BMW Group delivered an iX xDrive40 as its one-millionth electrified vehicle in December 2021, it reaffirmed that a new-generation Countryman is in the pipeline. The company mentioned the next-gen Countryman between a bunch of its future electric models, indicating that it was specifically talking about the SUV’s electric version.

Over the next year, the BMW Group will expand its electrified product line-up to include fully-electric versions of the BMW 7 Series and BMW X1. The high-volume BMW 5 Series will be added to the electric portfolio in 2023. The successor to the MINI Countryman and the all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre will follow.

BMW Group – One-millionth electrified vehicle delivery (December 7, 2021)

Until 2025, BMW Group plans to increase sales of its BEVs by an average of 50% from the current level and will include niche models such as the 2025 Mini Convertible electric. By around the beginning of the next decade, it estimates a cumulative BEV sales figure of approximately ten million units.

Mini Countryman Electric FAQs

What is the next-gen MINI Countryman release date?

The next-gen MINI Countryman is due in 2023. The electric version should be available to order in the second half of next year in Europe.

Which are rivals to the MINI Countryman EV?

The MINI Countryman Electric will rival the likes of the Smart #1, Volvo XC40 Recharge, and Mercedes EQA.

Featured Image Source: BMW Group

Keyword: MINI Countryman Electric confirmed, to launch in 2023 [Update]