There’s a lot riding on the MINI Electric these days. When the car was originally announced, not a lot of people were actually paying attention but now, since most car makers are banking a lot on small city cars running on electrons, it seems like the electric MINI will have its work cut out. The car is bound to arrive later this year and will therefore become only the second full EV made by the BMW Group so far.
The first one was the BMW i3 and that car still remains the only one with a blue and white roundel that runs purely on battery power. The MINI Electric will basically be using the exact same tech underneath. According to BMW, the car will have the same engine as the i3 and the same battery pack.
The video below shows the production line of the MINI Electric and how it’s made. The car will be manufactured in Oxford, where MINIs have been made for decades. It’s a strong signal sent by the Munich-based manufacturer regarding their commitment to the UK, despite Brexit uncertainty. Given that the MINI is pretty small (basically identical to the hardtop using a conventional ICE), it should also drive like a hot hatch.
That’s a good thing as competition is getting fiercer by the day. This week Opel launched the eCorsa, a car that’s similar in size to the MINI and comes with 200 miles of electric range at a rather appealing price. The Peugeot 208 electric is also coming based on the exact same platform as the Opel and both cars will be looking to dominate a market that is bound to grow in the near future.
