New technology brings added performance potential and greater range for the compact hatchback.
BMW
Mini reveals the first technical details of its upcoming Cooper E and Cooper SE.
The two battery-electric models form part of an all-new, fourth-generation Mini hatchback lineup that also will include gasoline-engine variants of the compact 4-seater – all set to be unveiled in September at the 2024 Munich auto show.
While the new gasoline-engine models are based on a further-developed version of the FAAR platform used by the existing third-generation Mini hatchback, the Cooper E and Cooper SE are underpinned by an all-new electric-vehicle platform developed in a partnership between Mini parent company BMW and Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor.
Photographs of camouflaged prototypes of the MiniE and SE models reveal they receive exterior styling similar to that of their gasoline siblings. Traditional design elements include rounded headlamps, an octagon-shaped grille, rounded front fenders and a so-called floating roof treatment with blacked-out pillars.
Mini confirms its new electric models receive differing front-mounted electric motors and battery capacities.
The Cooper E boasts a 181-hp electric motor and a 40.7-kWh battery, while the Cooper SE ups the performance ante with a 215-hp electric motor and 54.2-kWh battery. Official claims are yet to be made public, but Mini says the former will boast a WLTP range close to 186 miles (300 km), with the latter’s larger battery offering about 249 miles (401 km) of range.
By comparison, the existing Cooper SE uses a 181-hp electric motor and a 32.6-kWh battery with an official range of 145 miles (233 km) on the WLTP test cycle.
An even more powerful electric-powered Cooper JCW (John Cooper Works) performance model is undergoing development, though it is not expected to be launched until 2025.
The Cooper E and Cooper SE will be produced at a factory run by BMW and Great Wall Motor in the Chinese city of Zhangjiagang under the name Spotlight Automotive.
The same plant is also earmarked to produce the Mini Aceman, a new electric model positioned between the upcoming fourth-generation hatchback and third-generation Countryman.
Gasoline versions of the new Mini model will continue to be produced at Mini’s longtime plant in Oxford, England.
Production of the new Countryman, meanwhile, is set to shift from Mini’s plant in Born, Netherlands, to BMW’s factory in Leipzig, Germany.
All three new Mini models are to be launched by mid-2024.
Mini
Keyword: Mini Previews Battery-Electric Cooper E, SE Hatchbacks