Mini has taken a long time and rested on the existing portfolio, now the start of a new generation should finally begin. The first family members will be seen live and in color at the IAA trade fair in Munich in September. Of course, a look behind the scenes of the testing already gives an idea of what the not exactly small fan community can expect, starting in spring 2024.
It’s a range of three basic shapes, the classic Mini now always called the Cooper, the ever-growing SUV Countryman, and a model in between called the Aceman. The two-door is 3.86 meters short, is unmistakably Mini on the outside and makes a design leap in the interior.
The traditionally large round speedometer in the middle remains, otherwise there are a few new lines to be discovered which, as we state after a first unofficial inspection, look modern and successful. The Cooper will in turn also be available as a four-door and, for which the British in Bavarian service deserve a place in the sun, as a cabriolet.
Not in full bloom until 2024
The powerful Countryman will measure 4.43 meters in the future, the Aceman approaching in the middle will be 4.07 meters in the guise of a crossover derivative, it will not be shown in full bloom until 2024 and will only drive electrically.
In principle, petrol engines and electric drives are planned in parallel, and from 2030 onwards, Mini only wants to offer electric models. With the electric Cooper, Mini is based on a Chinese cooperation partner, the Ora Funky Cat recently presented here is considered a sister model. The Cooper and also the Aceman derived from the four-door Cooper are manufactured both in China and at a later date in Great Britain.
New minis
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In a pack of three
The electric models come in two power levels, they have 183 or 217 hp (135 or 160 kW), with a 40 or 54 kWh battery, standard ranges of 300 to 400 kilometers should be possible. The Countryman comes up with 190 or 272 hp, 64 kWh battery capacity and a standard range of 420 to 440 kilometers, it has the most BMW in its genes and is built in Germany.
Just like the Mini brand, the John Cooper Works sub-brand, which is geared towards consistent sportiness, will also be electrified, although electrified does not automatically mean fully electric. Interim solutions are deleted. In the future, Mini will dispense with plug-in hybrid drives, i.e. the combination of a battery drive that can be charged at the socket and a combustion engine.
Confidence in the new electricians, who will finally offer a usable range in the future, has apparently reached a new dimension, because the previously artificially imposed top speed limit of 150 km/h is falling.