fr.jpg?scaledown=450)
Mini is currently hard at work preparing the next generation of its flagship model, the Cooper Hardtop. The model is currently available with a gasoline engine, but also in an all-electric (SE) configuration.
While certainly interesting to drive, the Cooper SE offers a disappointing range in the eyes of many, its official 183 km (up from 177 at its debut) increasingly feeble in comparison with newer EVs hitting the market. For Mini, this is not a problem per se, because the SE’s other attributes help it satisfy the target clientele’s expectations and needs. Still, expectations have a way of changing, so offering more in terms of range is certainly not a bad idea.
Mini has clearly reached that conclusion, anyways, and for the next generation of the Cooper, there will be more range available to drivers of the electric variant.
Mini’s schedule has a new Mini Hardtop arriving in 2023 as a 2024 model. Early models are currently undergoing winter testing near the Arctic Circle.
Browse cars for sale available near you
Once again, consumers will have a choice between models with gasoline engines or with an electric powertrain. However, the big difference is that the EV will be designed as such, with an architecture specific to its format.
The two confirmed electric variants will thus be assembled on a separate platform from the one that will serve the regular versions. At the same time, Mini makes it clear the models will look largely the same from the outside.
The EV-dedicated platform of the next SE means that the interior dimensions will be maximized - the advantage of starting a vehicle design from scratch. The base variant should incorporate a battery with a capacity of about 50 kWh, and we can expect a range of over 300 km. The current Cooper SE has a 32.6 kWh battery, which isn’t bad in itself, but because the platform that hosts it was not conceived for an electric powertrain, its performance is not optimal in terms of range.
Production of the new electric Mini will be in China as part of a 2018 agreement with partner Great Wall Motors. Assembly of the regular models, which will be available in three-door, five-door and convertible configurations, will take place in Oxford, UK.