The new, fifth generation of the three-door Mini is engaged in extreme testing at the Arctic Circle in Arjeplog, Sweden. Once again, therefore, it will be the three-door version to debut first in early 2023.
After the 3-door hatchback, other body variants will follow, but for the moment the Oxford brand mentions only the arrival of the new Countryman and the debut of a concept that prefigures a new model: a compact crossover. There will still be endothermic and hybrid variants, but nothing has been explained in the first details about them. That the electric will debut first says a lot about the brand’s global strategy.
The first images highlight the evolution of the Mini design, now iconic to the point of not conceiving real revolutions.
With a few months in advance, however, the launch of the BMW iX1 is expected, the battery version of the X1 which will arrive at the end of the year and will inherit the connectivity technology of the iX SUV. But the third generation of the X1 will also be available with petrol and diesel engines, plug-in hybrids. It is also assumed that the new X1 will offer a sportier version signed M35i. From the design point of view, the high-wheeled entry level of the Munich brand will offer a large grille with the two connected kidneys and vertical air intakes highlighted in blue, details similar to the renewed iX3. Inside, the new X1 and the electric version iX1 will be offered with a digital dashboard that shares the curved display and the iDrive 8 system derived from the new 2 Series Active Tourer. BMW has made it known that the iX1 will be more spacious than the current one, but will maintain a compact size.
Also for this year, BMW is also planning a wave of high-performance models in the year of the 50th anniversary of the M division, including some of the most powerful combustion engine models that the brand has ever produced as well as the first purely electric sports cars. At the end of the year, BMW will have 15 electric cars to cover 90% of the market. The next step will be the platform dedicated to electric vehicles that will arrive in the middle of the decade for the battery cars of the future.