Petrol power will live on at Mini for a few years yet, with a new Cooper 5 Door Hatch spied undergoing testing.
Mini plans for 50 per cent of its sales to be of all-electric vehicles by 2027, which means this could be the last generation of combustion-powered 5 Door Hatch as the brand plans to be EV-only by 2030.
It’s possible it could be renamed simply Cooper, as the next-generation three-door models will be known.
While it’s wrapped in heavy camouflage, we can see the 5 Door Hatch has an evolutionary design.
Up front, the car appears to have an updated design for the headlights, though they still carry Mini’s classic circular shape.
Under the camouflage, there appears to be a new grille. The front air intakes, and front bumper design appear to have some changes which include reducing the chunky black accents.
At the rear, Mini appears to have included a central-mounted exhaust which can be seen vaguely through the camouflage.
Unlike the modern flush door handles on Mini’s electric line-up, it appears the ICE-powered vehicle will keep its current door handle design.
It is expected the upcoming 5 Door Hatch will feature similar powertrain options to the current model, though it could be offered exclusively with an automatic transmission.
The current 5 Door Hatch is offered with a choice of a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine producing 100kW of power and 220Nm of torque, or a punchier 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine which produces 141kW and 280Nm.
The new range could feature 48V mild-hybrid tech in an effort to reduce emissions.
Mini has revealed its plans for a new Mini Cooper 3 Door Hatch with both petrol and electric powertrains.
The latter model will use a different architecture, co-developed by Great Wall Motor.
Mini’s electric line-up will be built in China while the petrol variants will still be manufactured in Oxford, United Kingdom.
Mini has laid out plans for its upcoming electric Aceman to join its line up in 2024 which will also share the GWM and Mini platform with the 3 Door Hatch.
