Under the control of the BMW Group, the British brand Mini has decided to rename the rims of its new model so that buyers do not associate them with the COVID-19 coronavirus.
According to the Insideevs portal, the Cooper SE electric hatchback in the US market is equipped with R17 Corona Spoke wheels in the maximum configuration. A common root with the word “coronavirus” is clearly not the best association in these times, and Mini management decided to change the name to Power Spoke just a month after the start of sales. In addition, journalists who joked about this on social networks added fuel to the fire.
Interestingly, in the British market, the discs were renamed not Power Spoke, but Electric Spoke, at the same time including them in the list of basic equipment. In this country, by the way, the electric hatchback is sold under a different name - Mini Electric.
The Mini Cooper S E/Mini Electric is powered by a 184 hp BMW i3s electric motor powered by a 32.6 kWh battery. Acceleration to 100 km / h takes the car 7.3 seconds, the maximum speed is 150 km / h.
Recall that the Cooper S E has already demonstrated its remarkable capabilities: earlier it was able to tow a 150-ton Boeing 777F.
In the UK, the Cooper S E/Mini Electric is priced from £24,900.
Mini has changed the name of the rims due to consonance with the coronavirus
