The Cooper SE, MINI’s best-selling car last year, is all-new for 2024. Ahead of its market launch later this year, the next-generation model is posing on snowy roads. It’s the more potent SE version but going forward, the British marque is also going to sell an entry-level Cooper E electric hatchback. This Blazing Blue color suits the EV quite nicely, complemented by the white roof and mirror caps.
The car featured here is not built in the UK like its predecessor, but rather in China. MINI’s parent company BMW Group has formed the Spotlight Automotive joint venture with Great Wall Motor to assemble the electric hatch in the People’s Republic. It rolls off the line at the new Zhangjiagang factory in the Jiangsu Province. Later this year, the Aceman subcompact crossover will join it.
However, the Cooper E/SE and the Aceman will also be made at home in the UK from 2026. If you want to be among the early adopters, the two EVs will initially come from China for a couple of years.
This SE has its e-motor rated at 218 hp (160 kW) and 330 Nm (243 lb-ft) of torque. It draws its necessary juice from a 54.2-kWh battery giving it a driving range in the WLTP cycle of 250 miles (402 kilometers). The battery is mounted on the floor, which MINI says helps with weight distribution while lowering the center of gravity.
As before, MINI intends to sell the electric Cooper exclusively as a three-door hatchback. If you need a more practical EV, the Aceman will be the better choice. Lest we forget the new German-made Countryman also comes with electric propulsion now, and it’s much bigger than its predecessor. If you’d rather stick to combustion engines, all MINIs will still continue to have traditional powertrains, except for the electric-only Aceman.
You’ll have the freedom to decide between ICEs and EVs until around 2030 when MINI intends to pull the plug on combustion engines to produce and sell only electric cars.
Source: MINI
