Codenamed F56, the current-generation MINI 3-Door unveiled in late 2013 has reached an important milestone as the one-millionth example was assembled at the plant in Oxford, which celebrates its centenary in 2023. On its way to a customer from Canada, the milestone vehicle is a Cooper SE electric hatchback painted in British Racing Green. It’s worth noting not all F56s have been made in the UK as some were assembled in Born, The Netherlands by the VDL Car automotive manufacturing company.
As you have likely seen by now, MINI has already fully revealed the exterior design of its fourth-generation 3-Door by showing the electric version. While the models equipped with a combustion engine are going to be made in Oxford, the EV will be manufactured in China’s Jiangsu Province by Spotlight Automotive, a 50:50 joint venture between parent company BMW Group and Great Wall Motor. Next year’s Aceman subcompact electric crossover will also be made there.
In purely electric guise, the next-gen MINI 3-Door will stay true to the formula by remaining a petite car. It’s going to be 3860 millimeters (152 inches) long and 1435 mm (56.5 in) tall, with a wheelbase of 2525 mm (99.4 in). The plan is to sell the zero-emission model in S and SE flavors, plus a hotter John Cooper Works (JCW) slated to arrive later in the life cycle.
The next MINI Cooper S electric hatch will make do with 181 hp (135 kW) and 186 miles (300 kilometers) of WLTP range thanks to a 40-kWh battery pack. The SE will offer 215 hp (160 kW) and 249 miles (400 km) from a 54-kWh battery. Once again, the EV variant will be sold strictly as a three-door hatchback.
As before, the combustion-engined model will look virtually the same inside and out while having just about the same proportions. It’ll be the last ICE generation of the 3-Door since MINI intends to go purely electric by 2030.
The BMW-owned brand says we’ll see the next-generation 3-Door in full at a major auto show in Germany this fall, so look for an official premiere at IAA Munich in September.
Source: MINI
