The Mini Electric Concept previews a whole range of Mini EVs

Concept cars evolve for production but with Mini Electric Concept –complete with its minimalist design, blanked-off grille and yellow highlights – the firm is clearly signalling a distinctive and dynamic new look for what will eventually be a whole family of battery-powered Minis. 

Adrian van Hooydonk, BMW Group design chief, says the concept has a clean, contemporary and precise look that makes it quintessentially Mini, “while at the same time it conveys a whole new take on the concept of sportiness.” Striking accents, like the Union flag LED rear lights, and vivid contrasts add a distinctive Mini twist.

There are no technical details as yet, only the promise of an “enthralling drive” in the agile Mini tradition. Mini says it will come with a precision-tuned suspension and be quick off the mark on both city streets and country roads. It will, says the firm, be “great fun while also being completely suitable for everyday use.”

Mini and battery power do seem to be natural bedfellows, something the company has known for a while. This is not the first electric Mini. Nine years ago 600 Mini Es, converted Cooper models, entered field trials in an ongoing project whose first fruit was the BMW i3 and which has now evolved into the BMW Group’s ‘Number One>Next’ strategy to electrify the brand. 

And only a few months ago, at the Festival of Speed, we had the dynamic debut of the Mini Countryman S E Hybrid with its combination of 1.5-litre three-cylinder Cooper engine driving the front wheels and an 88bhp electric motor in the back. Unlike that car, the Mini Electric Concept will be purely electric and need to be externally charged up.

Harald Krüger, BMW AG chairman, said: “The Mini Electric Concept offers a thrilling preview of the all-electric production vehicle. Mini and electrification make a perfect match.”