Criticized for its low autonomy despite very good sales, the Mini Cooper SE electric car is about to offer a new reworked generation. Among the improvements mentioned, the arrival of a new larger battery.
Like all manufacturers, Mini will also have to convert to electricity, in accordance with the will of the European Union. But if the firm already offers a zero-emission model (with the exhaust) in its catalog, it still shows a certain delay compared to its rivals. This should change, however, since a new Countryman is currently in the works.
A new generation of Mini Cooper
But that’s not all. Indeed, the British manufacturer is also working on the development of a new generation of its Cooper SE. Launched in 2019, the electric city car has met with real commercial success with no less than 5,809 registrations recorded in 2022. Thus, it was placed in 11th position in the ranking of the best-selling electric cars in the territory.
The first place was occupied by the Peugeot e-208, followed by the Dacia Spring. But the manufacturer, which is part of the BMW group, does not intend to let it go and wants to attract new customers. For this, the city car will still have to correct one of its main faults: its autonomy. This is the subject of many criticisms, while it is considered too weak.
For the record, the electric city car, rival of the Honda E and other Fiat 500 is equipped with a 32.6 kWh battery, which gives it a range of 231 kilometers according to the WLTP cycle. Which is quite a bit. But that should change, as confirmed by Stefanie Wurst, the new boss of Mini to the journalists of the English site Coach.
Indeed, the next generation of the Cooper SE, which should see the light of day by the summer of 2024 should be able to travel up to 385 kilometers on a single charge. A clear improvement, which allows it to approach the 400 kilometers of the Renault Zoé. Thus, two batteries will be proposed, namely 40 and 54 kWh.
A JCW version on the program
They will be respectively associated with a 184 and 218 horsepower engine, all still sent to the rear wheels only. But that’s not all, because the leader also confirmed thata John Cooper Works version styling the range was also planned. Expected for mid-2025, this variant would take over the larger battery and display 250 horsepower.
It would therefore compete with the new Abarth 500e recently made official as well as the future electric city car from Alpine. Mini also confirms that the car will retain dimensions identical to the model already present in the range, with a length that will more or less remain displayed at around 3.80 meters. Thus, no question for the next generation to grow too much.
The style should gain in dynamism, while Autocar evokes larger wheels, wider tracks and shorter overhangs. The wheelbase will be lengthened, to the benefit of the space on board for the passengers. The light signature will also be redesigned, while nothing has yet been mentioned regarding the interior presentation. There is no doubt that this should also be the subject of work by the brand’s teams.
This new generation will be still offered with internal combustion engines, but only the 3-door version will be available in electric. The convertible will be reserved for the gasoline variant, while the current version is also available as a roadster, limited to 999 copies. The price of this future generation should be revised upwards, with an entrance ticket exceeding 30,000 pounds, or about 34,000 euros. The future Mini Cooper SE will be made in China, which could one day deprive it of ecological bonuses.
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