Electrifying design details. MINI shows initial design sketches of its fully-electric production model – to be presented in 2019.

Munich. MINI has released a pair of exclusive detail
design sketches as an initial preview of the first fully-electric
model from the history-rich British brand. Following on from the MINI
E pilot project exactly ten years ago and the MINI Cooper S E
Countryman ALL4 plug-in hybrid model on sale since 2017, the MINI with
battery-electric drivetrain represents the next stage in the
electrification of the MINI brand and therefore reflects the BMW
Group’s NUMBER ONE NEXT strategy. The initial design sketches
will be revealed in time for the Festival of Speed (FoS), taking place
on 12 – 15 July in Goodwood, southern England. The MINI stand at the
FoS will give visitors the chance to experience the MINI Electric
Concept – which offers a look ahead to the brand’s first
fully-electric production model – in person.

“MINI is an urban brand and the fully-electric MINI the logical next
step into the future,” says Oliver Heilmer, Head of MINI Design.
“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.”

Combining the past and the future.
The sketches
show the car’s grille. Its hexagonal form is a signature MINI design
element, but the closed-off interpretation is all new. Behind the
grille, cooling elements are conspicuous by their absence – which
means the grille can stay closed and therefore improve airflow. A
yellow accent bar with an E badge in the same colour produces a
powerful contrasting effect and identifies this as an electric MINI.
The second sketch shows the striking wheel design of the
fully-electric MINI, which has been carried over from the MINI
Electric Concept – unveiled for the first time last year – into the
production model. The wheels take the motif of the accent bar on the
grille and add their own asymmetrical twist.

The BMW Group announced the development of a purely
electrically-driven MINI production model in 2017. The first
volume-produced MINI with a battery-electric drivetrain will hit the
roads in 2019 – exactly 60 years after the classic Mini went on sale.

The new model fits the MINI template by turning electric mobility
into an emotionally engaging experience brimming with driving fun,
style and individuality. Based on the MINI 3 door, the electric model
will roll off the assembly line at Plant Oxford. Its drivetrain will
be produced at Plants Dingolfing and Landshut – the competence centres
for electric mobility within the BMW Group’s production network.