Mini has announced that an all-new generation of its smallest model will be unveiled later this year, with the first cars hitting the road in early 2024.
The EV model looks set to rival the Fiat 500 Electric, boasting 181bhp and 240 miles of range, and the name Cooper will no longer be a trim level or variation of the famous icon.
Manufacturers are shelving the names Mini Hatch and Mini One – Cooper will simply become the family name, with three-door, five-door and cabriolet Coopers all under the same umbrella.
Sounds simple enough but it does get slightly confusing when you start looking at the different trim levels on offer. Mini boss Stefanie Wurst explained the trim levels on offer for all Coopers will be E, SE and JCW.
So technically you could choose between a three-door all-electric or combustion engine, which means you could potentially have a petrol-powered Mini called a ‘Cooper E’. Mini mind blown.
The next generation
Mini’s small EV will be in its second generation – albeit now being called the Cooper – and will be built in China on top of a new front-wheel-drive platform engineered by Spotlight Automotive.
The E trim level comes with a 40kWh battery and 181bhp (expected to go from 0-62mph in roughly seven seconds) making it nearly as quick as today’s petrol-engined Cooper S.
A larger 54kWh unit will be found in the SE trim, delivering 215bhp and pushing closer to 300 miles of range – approximately 50 more miles than the E.
Both E and SE trims will eventually be eclipsed by a JCW (John Cooper Works), thought to offer closer to 250bhp.
You should be able to get your hands on the new electric Cooper in May next year, followed about two months later by the petrol version.
The petrol-engine version will be built on home soil in Oxford, sitting on a different platform but taking the same design direction.
It’s expected to be a heavily updated and rebodied version of the hatchback that’s been on our roads since 2014, with adjusted versions of today’s turbo engines (a 1.5-litre triple in the Cooper and a 2.0-litre four-pot in the Cooper S) and matching modifications expected to be made to efficiency and performance.
We’re predicting the new Cooper interior will mirror the current generation’s design, but we think it’s likely to drop the traditional dial display behind the steering wheel. We can see a round central screen acting as both a driver display and infotainment screen in its place.
Will you be on the waiting list for the next big Mini thing?
