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

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.