MINI claims 45,000 EV pre-orders

British car-maker MINI claims to have more than 45,000 pre-orders already for its upcoming Mini Cooper SE battery-electric car.

With the Cooper SE heading on sale next year in Europe in time to reduce emissions under new Euro 7 rules, MINI project leader Elena Eder says pre-orders should climb well above 50,000 before it hits showrooms.

Announcing pre-orders for cars, particularly EVs, is a trend started by America’s Tesla, which announced more than 400,000 of them (though unsubstantiated) for its Model 3.

Since then, Porsche has announced it has more than 20,000 pre-orders for next year’s Taycan performance EV, while Volkswagen insists there are more than 20,000 takers for its ID.3 (up from 10,000 on the first day), the production version of which will be shown at next month’s Frankfurt motor show.

Unlike the BMW i3 with which it shares its core technical pieces, the MINI Cooper SE shares the same body styling and philosophy as the rest of the MINI Cooper range, while riding 18mm taller (to swallow the battery pack beneath the floor).

The 135kW/270Nm electric motor will power the front wheels and its performance is claimed to be impressive, with just 3.9 seconds standing between it and 60km/h. It will take a claimed 7.3 seconds to hit 100km/h from rest.

Its driving range is rated at 235km to 270km, depending on the battery pack, while it can swallow an 80 per cent charge in 35 minutes from a 50kW DC charging station.

MINI's first EV retains the Cooper’s 211-litre boot space, which can stretch to 731 litres with the rear seats dropped down. Electrification will add another 145kg to the 1365kg kerb weight of the petrol-powered version.

The pure-electric MINI Cooper SE is yet to be confirmed for Australia, where the MINI Countryman Plug-in Hybrid has only just been released.