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The next-generation MINI Cooper has been spied in recent weeks as it prepares for its launch in 2025. So many pictures surfaced that MINI decided to send out some official pictures before its slated debut.
The shots show a two-door MINI emblazoned with a lime green "S". Traditionally that color is used to denote that a MINI is an electric vehicle (EV).
MINI's new Cooper features a fresh set of wheels and headlights. Its mostly closed grille points to a prospective electric powertrain due to the lack of engine cooling intakes. It also loses the hood scoop of the previous model.
Its triangular-shaped taillights still wear the Union Jack flag of previous generations, they they but are smaller and integrated into the rounded rear end more than before.
The current MINI Cooper SE has a 181-hp electric motor and has go-kart-like handling. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates it to be able to travel up to 114 miles before a recharge is needed.
Those recharges take about eight hours on a 110-volt outlet with a maximum charging power of 3.7 kilowatts (kW). With a Level 2 charger and a maximum charging power of 11 kW, the charging time is about three hours.
Motor 1 and other automotive enthusiast websites are speculating, with a fair amount of background knowledge, that the new electric MINI Cooper will be offered with two battery packs. The base model would come with a 40-kilowatt-hour (kWh) pack, with the upgraded version sporting a 54-kWh pack.
With these options, buyers would have a choice of power outputs and range would likely go up precipitously. However, extra range means extra charging time, meaning this vehicle will be most most useful when the owner has a Level 2 charger in their garage.
The new electric Cooper will run concurrently with new gasoline-powered versions, though they're expected to arrive a little later than the EVs.
Driving.ca reports that the new MINI Cooper electric will ride on shared platform codeveloped with parent company BMW and China's Great Wall company. It claims that platform will make the MINI sellable and drivable globally.
Spike, the unofficial canine mascot of MINI, will become the new digital assistant in the next round of Cooper electric and gas-powered vehicles. The English Bulldog will guide buyers through the functions of the MINI and will be making his first public appearance at the Auto Shanghai international trade fair in China later this month. The Spike digital assistant will find a home in MINI's new circular OLED central display.
No more information was revealed, including a premiere date, but the new MINI Cooper is expected to go into production later this year.
About the writer
Jake Lingeman is a Newsweek Autos managing editor based in Detroit. His focus is reporting on the auto industry. He has covered ... Read more