In response to the tightening emissions regulations worldwide, the Iconic “British” brand Mini has now become the latest brand to commit to a fully-electric future.
The announcement was made by BMW’s chairman of the board, Oliver Zipse at the carmaker’s annual conference, who said: “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 early 2030s, Mini will be exclusively fully-electric.”
BMW also said that Mini will play a “pioneering role” in the group’s electrification efforts, with Zipse confirming that the brand will “be the first BMW Group brand to go fully-electric”. Mini has reportedly already started working on a new EV architecture.
In reference to the said final combustion-engine model due 2025, current rumours suggest that it will be the next-generation Mini Cooper hatch. The company expects at least half of its total global sales to be contributed by EVs by 2027.
Mini currently only makes one fully-electric model, in the form of the Mini Cooper SE, with an electric single motor on the front axle paired to a 28.9 kWh battery pack. Power output is rated at 184 hp and 270 Nm of torque, with the battery able to provide 234 km of pure-electric range.
According to a report by Autocar UK, the company will also begin production of the next-generation Mini Countryman in 2023, which will be offered in both ICE and fully-electric variants. Meanwhile, a new Mini-branded electric crossover will be built in China starting 2023 too, via a joint venture with Great Wall Motors.
Zipse ended the press conference by saying that “there will be an electric Rolls-Royce in this decade”, adding that it probably won’t be in the latter half. As for which model, that’s anyone’s guess.
