Green shoots emerge for MINI EV

MINI Australia officials are describing the brand’s transition into electric powertrain technology as one of the most exciting periods in its history.

While much of the Australian car industry tip-toes its way into the EV space which, so far, is bereft of government grants or incentives and is at the mercy of a fledging charging network, the British manufacturer is buoyed by what lies ahead.

MINI recently released its first electrified model – the MINI Countryman plug-in hybrid, which is now out to a five-month waiting list – and is prepping to roll out its first all-electric model, the MINI Cooper SE, in mid-2020.

“Plug-in hybrid has been a success. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well the car has gone – we’re sold out all the way to April delivery,” said Marlon De Abreu, MINI Australia’s head of product planning.

“We’re really surprised as to how much of our current customers are keen and are considering electric products in their decision. I’ve been in the network for a long time and I can’t remember it every being like this. It’s exciting.”

De Abreu said the Countryman PHEV has played an important part in MINI’s Australian sales; the car-maker’s figures are down 10.1 per cent year-to-date in a new car market that has been stagnant at best.

Internationally, the battery-powered MINI Cooper SE has accumulated tens of thousands of pre-orders and there’s healthy interest from Australia.

“There is a lot of interest but I couldn’t put a number on it just yet,” De Abreu said.

“In terms of pricing and spec, we are working on that at the moment. We try and make sure that everything we do is relevant to our customer set. We want to make sure that the specification of the car is worthy of the price we actually launch with.

“We want to make it good value as well. This is going to be our first electric model in our range and we want to try and knock it out of the park.

“Our current model owners are very excited about the first all-new product that we’ve had in our range for a long time. This is revolutionary for our customer set.”

De Abreu said the Cooper SE presented a fresh opportunity to bring new MINI customers into the fold.

He confirmed MINI Australia was also evaluating “outside the box” sales options which could potentially include access to internal combustion-powered MINI vehicles for EV owners wishing to take weekend road trips.

“In terms of people outside of our brand, they’re curious to know what our product looks and feels like; people that have wanted an electric car but don’t necessarily want it to look like it’s out of ‘Back to the Future’,” he said.

“For those wanting a more iconic shape and the go kart-like handling that we’re renowned for, they’re absolutely curious about the electric version.

“Everything in our range is fit for purpose – whether it’s a Cooper, a Cooper S or a JCW. They all meet the requirements of that particular customer looking at that particular car. The electric car won’t be any different.”

The new MINI Cooper SE hatch is a fully-fledged production car built at MINI Plant Oxford in the UK. Its packaging is essentially identical to the current MINI Cooper hatch – and it’s leading MINI’s electrification charge.

The new Cooper SE’s compact lithium-ion battery pack is packaged in a T-shape as part of the floor structure in the same way as BMW i3. It’s powered by a 135kW motor driving the front wheels.

Performance is spritely but not JCW-fast. MINI claims a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 7.3 seconds. Range is in the 235-270km bracket, MINI claims.