Next All-Electric Mini Will be Based on Three-Door Hardtop

BMW Group announced that the Mini brand’s next all-electric model will be a variant of the three-door Hardtop, much like the previous Mini E that was available to drivers on a trial basis between 2009 and 2011. The new Mini EV will go into production starting in 2019.

Mini already offers a plug-in hybrid version of its new Countryman crossover, but it says that every model series can offer a full-electric or plug-in hybrid option in addition to the standard internal combustion version in the future. The electric drivetrain for the new car will be built at the BMW Group e-mobility center located at the Dingolfing and Landshut plants in Bavaria. Once built, the drivetrains will be sent to the Oxford plant in the U.K. for final assembly. BMW says its flexible production system can accommodate conventional gas-powered, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric drivetrains simultaneously.

The Mini EV drivetrain will be manufactured alongside other electrified BMW Group products at Dingolfing, including plug-in versions of the 5 Series and 7 Series. Starting in 2021, the plant will also build the all-electric iNext. The current Countryman E All4 plug-in is built by BMW’s partner VDL Nedcar in the Netherlands and makes a combined 221 hp from a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine and a synchronous electric motor. The previous Mini E made 204 hp and had a range of around 100 miles.

Source: Mini

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