Not Hatch but Cooper as Mini commences teasing new model

The long overdue replacement for the current third generation Mini Hatch, which will be a decade old come November this year, has officially been teased by BMW ahead of its world debut next year.

On course to be the final generation to offer both and electric powertrains in readiness for the brand becoming entirely electric before 2030, the hatch will again be offered as either a three-or five-door, and, somewhat surprisingly, a convertible despite some reports have suggested it would no longer be offered.

Smaller in profile

As per the teasers, the new Mini harks back to the original R50 that premiered 23 years ago as the first model to emerge from its acquiring and establishing as a brand rather than a nameplate by BMW.

On first glance, the newcomer appears to be dimensionally similar to the R50, an aspect former Mini boss Bernd Körber had been vocal about since rumours started emerging four years ago.

“We can stretch the interpretation of Mini always being the smallest but I can’t imagine being bigger in a segment. We need to fulfil a requirement on size,” Körber told Britain’s Autocar at the time.

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In a follow-up two years later with the publication, he remarked, “we are having proportion and design discussions at the moment. The task now is to design it. Hopefully in the next generation, we can make it even more compact, back to where Mini comes from”.

The British publication has meanwhile unearthed more details following an extensive interview with Mini boss Stefanie Wurst, the most prominent being a change in name from Mini hatch or hard-top, to officially Mini Cooper regardless of the powertrain or trim level.

While it had been reported that the Minor name could make a comeback for the first time in over decades as an entry-level version of the Mini Cooper E, no actual confirmation was revealed.

Different pairs of Mini

What did emerge from the interview was that the internal combustion engine Cooper and electric Cooper E would not only be built in two different locations, but ride on different platforms.

Whereas a heavily reworked version of the current model’s FAAR architecture will underpin the petrol derivative, the Cooper E will make use of a foundation co-developed between BMW and Great Wall Motors (GWM) called Spotlight EV.

The second model after the new Countryman to have input from the Chinese firm, the Cooper E will also be build in China rather than at the Oxford Plant in the United Kingdom which, on Wednesday (8 March), appeared set to receive an investment of a reported £500 million for production of the new Cooper.

Electric takes centre stage

Based on the Autocar report, the Cooper E will be motivated by a 40-kWh battery pack and the Cooper S E by a bigger 54-kWh that will provide a significant range boost from the current model’s 270 km to 386 km.

For the first time, the performance John Cooper Works (JCW) will also be offered with an electric powerunit capable of producing in the region of 184 kW. Unlike the internal combustion and Cooper and Cooper E, the Cooper E JCW is only expected to premiere in 2025.

Design conundrum

Prior to the Autocar report, images have emerged in China showing the newcomer completely camouflage free and with a frontal design that appears similar to the current model, bar the new rounded LED headlights.

A different story resides at the rear where an X-motif design has been applied to the light clusters connected via a full-width logo bar that identifies the depicted model as the Cooper S.

The most puzzling aspect of the rear facia though is its difference from the teasers released by BMW, made even more bizarre as both preview the Cooper E instead of one being the EV and the other the petrol-fuelled Cooper.

Just as big is the interior which continues with the retro Mini design, albeit with a larger transparent infotainment system roundel complimented by a new steering wheel and a just visible lower climate control panel with physical switchgear.

Coming in 2024

In making the announcement that the new Cooper will commence pricing from £30 000 (R661 625), Wurst told Autocar that availability will start in May next year first with the Cooper E and then two months later, with the petrol engine Cooper.

For now, little else is known about export plans for the new Mini, though this will become apparent after the official reveal takes place. As such, expect South Africa to receive it towards the latter stages of 2024 or even in early 2025.

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