Mini sketches first battery-electric vehicle
BY JUSTIN HILLIARD | 13th Jul 2018
MINI has released a pair of teaser sketches for its forthcoming first battery-electric vehicle (BEV), which will be based on its iconic three-door Hatch.
Set to make its debut in production form next year, the BEV will draw design inspiration from the Mini Electric Concept shown at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2017.
Two such styling cues shared between the incoming BEV and Mini Electric Concept are the front grille and alloy wheels, as indicated by the two teaser sketches.
As is Mini’s trademark, the front grille is once again hexagonal in shape, but it is now closed off in its latest interpretation to optimise airflow.
This look is punctuated by chrome trim and a gloss-black insert, which is contrasted with a yellow accent bar and an E badge that identifies the BEV as an electrified Mini.
The motif of the front grille’s accent bar is mirrored by the alloy wheels, which adopt their own unique twist on a bi-colour four-spoke layout alongside a yellow flange.
According to Mini head of design Oliver Heilmer, the BEV’s design will accurately reflect the British brand’s storied history – including the Mini E from 2008 – and electrifying future.
“Mini is an urban brand, and the fully electric Mini is the logical next step into the future,” he said.
“These initial sketches for the fully electrified Mini outline our vision of authentic design, creating a bridge between the history of the brand and its electric future.”
As previously reported, the three-door Hatch-based BEV will be the first of several battery-electric offerings from the marque in the coming years, with its arrival to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the original Mini’s launch.
While some of these offerings will be built at a new factory in China under BMW Group’s recently-announced joint-venture with Great Wall Motor, the initial BEV will roll out of the former’s plant in Oxford, England.
However, the initial BEV’s powertrain will be built at BMW Group’s factory-based e-mobility centres in Dingolfing and Landshut, Germany.
Mini Australia expressed its interest in BEVs last year, saying that they are “a no-brainer” to be offered locally.
The Countryman Cooper S E All4 plug-in hybrid was the first electrified Mini to enter mass production, with BMW Group Australia this week confirming it for a local launch in the second quarter next year.
