Mini celebrates one millionth model

MINI has this week celebrated a very special milestone in the history of the nameplate with the one millionth example of the famed small car being produced in Oxford, UK.

The milestone model – a three-door all-electric Cooper SE hatch – celebrates just how far development of the Mini brand has comes since Sir Alec Issigonis introduced the ingenious original back in 1959, a simple vehicle that in many ways resembles the newcomer in name only.

The current interpretation of the Mini has been available globally since 2014 and, fittingly, is produced at the same 110-year-old site as the original. It is now offered with diesel, petrol and electric drivelines, the latter now accounting for more than 20 per cent of Mini sales worldwide.

Mini has said previously it will move to become an all-electric brand in the not-too-distant future, and that “the new edition of the original is geared to electric driving pleasure from the outset” with the “ideal prerequisites for inspiring agility and the creative use of space” typical of the brand.

The Mini Cooper SE is powered by a 135kW electric traction motor driving the front wheels – a considerable uptick in performance over the 25kW offered by the carburetted 848cc original.

Power consumption in the Cooper SE is rated at a relatively efficient 17.2kWh per 100km (WLTP) providing a range of 201km and a 0-100km/h time of 8.2 seconds, some 20 seconds quicker than BMC’s 1959 classic.

The news comes just weeks after Mini announced that it will produce its first German-made model later this year, the new Countryman SUV to be manufactured at the BMW Group plant in Leipzig.

According to the BMW Group, production of the largest Mini in the range is a suitable fit for the Leipzig plant which also produces the related BMW 1 Series, 2 Series Gran Coupe and 2 Series Active Tourer models.

Following a recent €800 million ($A1.3b) investment from BMW, the Leipzig facility will be expanded to run eight production lines by 2024. The future production area of 150,000 square metres will also result in an additional 1000 people being employed at the site.

Currently, the facility employs 5600 people and produces approximately 1000 vehicle per day.