Hot off the recent debut of the Mini Cooper and Countryman EVs, these spy shots catch the brand working on the updated combustion-powered version of the Cooper hardtop and convertible. The cars were testing in Germany.
The combustion-powered Minis have completely different underpinnings than their electric counterparts. The two variants feature similar styling, though. The front features a more prominent grille. The circular headlights have stacked lamps with horizontal running lights in the middle. At the back, the interior of the taillights appears to have a fresh look.
The combustion-powered models ride on a modified version of the existing UKL1 platform. There are no official powertrain details available, but these models would reportedly use the same engines as what the current vehicles use. There might be minor revisions to improve emissions. Recent spy shots show that a John Cooper Works variant would be part of the lineup.
Mini plans to have an all-EV lineup by 2030. This means these updated models are among the last ones from the brand to have combustion engines. A manual gearbox reportedly wouldn’t be available.
The cabin will receive some upgrades. The test cars have covered dashboards, so we don’t know exactly what’s different. It might adopt a look more like the EV’s simple interior.
Look for these improved Minis to join the lineup for the 2025 model year. We should see them debut in 2024.
The new Mini Cooper EV debuted for the public at the IAA show in Munich on September 5. The base version makes 181 horsepower and reaches 62 miles per hour in 7.3 seconds. The SE grade is more powerful at 214 hp and can hit 62 mph in 6.7 seconds.
The standard variant has a 40.7-kilowatt-hour battery that provides an 189-mile range in the European WLTP test. The SE features a 54.2-kWh pack that boosts the driving distance to 249 miles.
Check out the new Mini EV’s interior in this video:
