The secret was out last year: The BMW-owned MINI brand plans to go fully electric by 2030. Last internal combustion MINIs will be phased out in 2025. The British brand currently sells two fully electric vehicles – the MINI Cooper SE hatch and the Cooper SE Convertible. Additional EVs are planned for 2023 and beyond. But are MINI customers ready to embrace the electric revolution? Yes, according to BMW Vice President for Sustainability and Mobility Strategy Dr Thomas Becker. “MINI is on a good path towards electrification and we see a very positive reaction from our customers,” Becker told Express.co.uk.
Becker goes on to say that MINI customers don’t usually travel over long distances and in many cases, their MINIs are the second car in the garage. Therefore, MINI is a prime candidate for electrification. Of course, the charging infrastructure remains a major obstacle in the fast adoption of electric cars. “If you’re taking markets like China, for example — no mayor in China has a choice whether or not to equip their city with electric chargers,” Becker says. “In Europe, so far, you have the possibility to simply wait for somebody to give you the money for it.” The statement goes hand-in-hand with the view of other car executives who urge European regulators to speed up the build of charging networks.
The future core portfolio of electric cars will include the MINI 3-door and a crossover model in both the small-car and in the premium compact segment. The first all-electric MINI to kick-off that race to full electrification will be the upcoming MINI hatchback. The automaker also unveiled a futuristic electric concept called MINI ACEMAN. Furthermore, from 2023 onwards, the new models of the small-car segment developed for e-mobility will be produced in China. Production will be located at the newly constructed automobile plant in the east of China. MINI will use the cars produced there to meet the increasing demand in China and the other global markets for electric cars.
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