Mini is on the verge of a profound transformation: in the next decade the brand, owned by BMW, will debut new platforms, add more SUVs and electric powertrains.
“In the next two years we are going to continue with a mix of engines: today we have a plug-in hybrid , soon an electric and several models with internal combustion engines. But as of 2023 we will begin to offer more plug-in and electric hybrid versions, ”says Ricardo Humphrey, Mini’s regional director.
Mini has announced that in 2025 it will launch its latest new model available with internal combustion engines in the UK and that by 2030 the brand’s full range will consist solely of battery electric vehicles.
“In Mexico, we still do not have an exact date to stop selling vehicles with combustion engines, but we do have to start increasing the proportion of these vehicles in total sales,” adds Humphrey.
In addition to the Mini Electric, the plug-in hybrid versions of the Countryman and Clubman shore up the rest of the electrified lineup. The Countryman plug-in hybrid is already offered in Mexico, with a range of up to 57 kilometers per charge; while the electric Mini will hit the market in the second half of the year, with a range of 250 kilometers per charge.
“We expect it to generate 5% of our sales in 2021,” says Humphrey. In the first four months of the year, the brand has sold about 1,200 vehicles, according to Inegi data.
The Mini Cooper SE was designed on a platform adapted from the Gasoline Mini. That means the Cooper SE misses out on many potential benefits that can come when engineers design an electric platform from scratch.
The brand is now working on a high-performance electric powertrain for future John Cooper Works models, as well as an electric option for the next Countryman due out in 2023. It is also developing a new crossover that is larger than the Countryman, and which you will have the option of an electric powertrain.
Today the electric Mini is manufactured at the Oxfordshire plant, but from 2023 several of the new Mini battery models will roll out of a plant in China, owned by the BMW Group and its Chinese partner Great Wall Motor.
BMW is following a similar strategy to Daimler, which last year entered into an alliance with Geely to relaunch its Smart brand as an electric car brand. In the past three years, Daimler had struggled to market its electric Smarts, which were basically electric conversions from previous gasoline models. After the setback, Daimler changed its strategy and partnered with Chinese auto giant Geely to develop electric platforms.
The strong commitment to electrification promoted by the BMW Group will eventually mean reducing investments in the development of new internal combustion engines. In 2019, the BMW Group was considering canceling plans to offer internal combustion engines in the next-generation Mini family, but recently confirmed a generation more equipped with internal combustion engines.
“The transition to electrification is complex. There are many factors that do not depend only on you, such as the charging infrastructure. You also have to know when to stop investing in certain things that you don’t know when they will no longer be necessary (such as internal combustion engines), ”says Humphrey. “Mini is preparing very strongly for the future, there are many changes that are coming for the brand,” he concludes.
