Mini, part of the BMW concern, has announced its intention to expand the range of electric models. At the moment, in its arsenal there is only the Cooper S E electrohatchback (in its homeland it is known as Electric), but soon two more new items will join it. According to the press service of the brand, the range will be replenished with compact and subcompact electric crossovers. But they will also have ICE versions.
However, according to the publication Motor1, Mini is somewhat disingenuous. The fact is that only one of the two new products can really be called new. As for the second, we are talking about an electric version of the current next-generation Countryman model, which has not even been run in tests yet. However, the company promises that both electric crossovers will get all the signature Mini features: smart use of space in the interior, exciting “taxiing” and personality.
If now the cars of the British manufacturer are the most popular in Europe, then with the change in the generation of models, the company will focus on the East - on the Chinese market. Currently, about 10% of the brand's cars are sold there, but this figure is expected to increase significantly within a few years due to cooperation with Great Wall: in 2023, a joint venture called Spotlight Automotive Limited will begin production of Mini at a new factory in Zhangjiagang. This approach is due to the fact that in Europe sales of brand cars have not been growing since 2017 (they are in the region of 215,500-217,000 cars per year), while in the American market, there has been only a decline since 2012 (from 66 123 cars in 2012 to 36,092 in 2019). In China, thanks to cooperation with Great Wall Mini will receive the status of a local manufacturer, which will enable it to reduce the cost of models in the local market.
Mini to release two electric crossovers and target Chinese market
