Mini has teased its next fully electric car, the Countryman, which will be the second Mini EV model to be produced, following on from the Cooper SE.
The Countryman will be the first Mini to be manufactured in Germany and will be built on the same production line as the BMW 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupe.
BMW Group says it has expanded its e-component production lines in Germany with an investment of 800 million euros (AUD$1.25 billion).
The 2023 Mini Countryman electric at its German production facility
The battery packs for the upcoming electric Countryman will come directly from the German plant’s own facilities.
While the electric Countryman is set to begin production during 2023, it’s likely to not go on sale locally until some time in 2024. An Australian announcement is yet to be made on the electric Countryman.
What could sit underneath the electric Countryman?
Exact specs are yet to be confirmed, but the Countryman could use iX1 underpinnings
The Mini Countryman has been built upon the BMW UKL2 platform since 2017, which also underpins models such as the BMW 1 Series, 2 Series Gran Coupe and X1.
As the BMW iX1 model is now confirmed and coming to Australia, it’s very likely that the future Mini Countryman will use the same underpinnings.
The iX1 uses a 64.7kWh battery pack and is powered by two electric motors – one on the front axle and one on the rear – to produce a total system output of 230kW/494Nm.
The BMW iX1 and Mini Countryman electric could be very similar underneath
The Countryman electric might have slightly dialled down figures to the iX1, with higher outputs likely to be reserved for a yet-to-be-confirmed hot electric JCW edition in the future.
Mini plans to be an all-electric brand by 2030.
