Mini takes page from past in prelude to EVs

Compact car maker Mini is going bigger and electric with its product lineup.

The bestselling Countryman crossover bulks up in the first half of 2024 with a redesign. An all-electric variant follows later in the year. The battery-powered Countryman will be at the vanguard of a wave of EV models launching globally starting next year as Mini seeks to go fully electric by 2030.

Two battery-electric vehicles made in China — a small crossover and a Cooper SE replacement — will come to market next year, but Mini has not yet confirmed them for the U.S.

While Mini looks toward an electric future, it is going retro in the present.

The British marque returned the manual transmission to additional hardtop and convertible variants for the 2024 model year, underscoring the brand's go-kart driving experience.

The wave of new models brings an end to a drought that frustrated some U.S. dealers.

"We've been in kind of a two- or three-year period where we haven't had new product landing," National Mini Dealer Council Chairman Jason Willis told Automotive News. "All our new product starts to hit in 2024. With that, there will be new availability as far as technology, infrastructure, EV availability and so on."

Electric compact crossover: The new EV would slot below the Mini's bestselling Countryman. Developed in cooperation with Great Wall Motor, the Mini crossover made in China will debut an all-electric platform and a modern design.

Mini teased the model in the Aceman, a four-door concept that seats five and hints at roomier Minis. Its two-box design with short overhangs maximizes interior roominess in a compact exterior footprint. The closed grille is surrounded by clear surfaces, with the traditionally hexagonal outline tweaked into an octagonal contour. Mini revealed an updated version of the Aceman concept at the Shanghai auto show this spring that showed off a circular OLED (organic light-emitting diodes) touchscreen that Mini said is an auto industry first.

The Aceman debuted a new digital personal assistant that carries over to Mini's future small electric cars. The assistant takes the form of a British bulldog character called Spike and responds to commands from the driver.

Cooper SE: The two-door EV ends production next year in Oxford, England. Mini will replace it globally with a subcompact hatchback EV built in China on a new platform that will be smaller than the current Hardtop.

According to media reports, the EV will pack 40 kilowatt-hour and 54 kWh batteries and go more than 200 miles on a single charge, based on European testing cycle estimates. In contrast, the current 181-hp electric Mini Cooper delivers an EPA-estimated 114 miles of range from a 32.6-kWh battery.

The model features a redesign with newly styled headlights and taillights and a new octagonal grille design. The interior has a minimalist dashboard anchored by the floating round OLED touchscreen teased in the Aceman concept.

Countryman: The next-generation four-door compact crossover arrives in the first half of next year as a 2025 model. The new, bigger Countryman will use the same architecture as the subcompact BMW X1 Series.

Starting in November, BMW will build the Countryman in Leipzig, Germany, according to AutoForecast Solutions. The 2024 redesign will be available in combustion engine and all-electric powertrains. Mini will ditch the plug-in hybrid version of the Countryman.

The BEV will be built on the same platform as the combustion engine model.

Available in all-wheel and front-wheel drive, the EV will have a 64.7 kWh (87 hp) electric motor and deliver a range up to 273 miles on a single charge, based on European testing cycle estimates.

Clubman: Production will end in February. Mini will address that market segment with its planned electric Aceman crossover.

Hardtop: For the 2024 model year, the current subcompact hatchback comes with more standard premium exterior features, a spruced-up interior and a manual transmission option for the base and Cooper S versions.

A redesigned two-door will arrive in the first half of 2024, followed by the four-door model in the second half. The updated vehicle will ride on a modified version of the existing platform and sport a new, more powerful engine. The model will feature a new front and rear design and an all-new interior.

Convertible: For the 2024 model year, the ragtop got sportier with the return of the six-speed manual transmission. The model will be redesigned in the first half of 2025, similar to the hardtop. An electric convertible could arrive as early as 2027, given the brand's commitment to go all-EV in the next decade.