BMW to build an all-electric version of the MINI Cooper

MINI’s parent company, BMW, confirmed that it will release a full-electric version of the iconic MINI Cooper by 2019.

BMW published the first photos of the MINI Electric Concept and announced that the model will be officially presented at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW said: “The MINI Electric Concept offers a thrilling preview of the all-electric production vehicle” by remarking that MINI and electrification make a perfect match.

In 2008, the company unveiled the pilot version of the MINI Electric as a rolling laboratory project, building 600 pieces of the concept car and distributing them to the US, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, China and France to gather real-world driving feedback that led to the final version of the upcoming EV.

The design of the electric MINI has incorporated the traditional MINI design concept and proportions, in a futuristic, one would say, version.

Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design said about the new car: “The MINI Electric Concept is a quintessential MINI – compact, agile, simply the ideal companion for everyday driving”.

“At the same time, it conveys a whole new take on the concept of sportiness”, he added.

The company shared no details on the engineering characteristics, the car’s range or battery capacity, and it only made the following comments:

“The responsive drive system, sublimely judged suspension tuning and use of aerodynamic add-ons produce driving dynamics very much in the MINI mould and a fine operating range”.

“It all comes together to make the MINI Electric Concept a highly attractive, zero-emission solution to the current challenges facing personal mobility in our cities and their surroundings”.

Rumours say that despite the fact that traditionally the brand doesn’t prefer to launch cars at motor shows, BMW was ‘forced’ by news that Mercedes-Benz is about to announce its plans for an electric version of its Smart model. 

Read the official press release from BMW here!