A redesigned Mini Hardtop is set for reveal later this year, and Mini on Thursday provided an early look—sans camouflage.
Mini will revert to calling its signature hatch a Cooper for the latest generation—currently Cooper is just a grade—and will offer more than one electric version, in addition to gas versions.
Sales in the U.S. will likely start in 2024, meaning the car should be a 2025 model.
The version shown is the new Cooper SE electric hatch. Mini will also offer a base Cooper E electric hatch, and the company in 2020 said it is working on an electric John Cooper Works model.
2025 Mini Cooper
Mini hasn't provided any specs, but the Cooper E is expected to come with a 40-kwh battery and 181 hp, and the Cooper SE should have a 54-kwh battery and 215 hp. Any JCW model will likely pack more than 300 horses.
This time around, the electric versions will use a separate platform to the gas-powered versions. Development and eventual production of the electric versions is being handled in China as part of an agreement between Mini's BMW Group parent and Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors in 2018.
The gas-powered versions will more be of a heavy update of the outgoing Hardtop than a true redesign, and their production will be handled at the same plant in the U.K. as the outgoing Hardtop. With Mini planning to go the full-electric route later this decade, this will likely be the final gas-powered generation.
2025 Mini Cooper
The styling of the new Cooper follows an evolutionary path, though the surfaces appear more sculpted and the body also appears to have fewer design details. Mini has said it will do away with features like chrome accents for future vehicles. The taillights sport a new design, with the black surrounds and individual pixels resulting in a look that resembles Spiderman's costume.
Mini this year will also launch a redesigned Countryman, which will also offer the choice of gas or electric power. The new Countryman, which will be the first Mini to be built in Germany, is set to grow slightly in size to make space in Mini's lineup for a smaller, fully electric crossover that will likely go by the Aceman name.
