An all-new electric Mini Cooper is about to debut which is likely to be scheduled for 9th July 2019. The electric Mini will be available for pre-orders in Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden and Norway. The electric Mini is expected to be christened as ‘Cooper S E’ and the car is expected to be produced in Oxford, South England from November 2019. The British brand car, owned by BMW, is likely to share the powertrain from the BMW i3 which is expected to be around 135 kW in power output and is expected to deliver a range of 320 km on a single charge. The car is likely to be based on the UKL1 platform which will be adapted to accommodate batteries and electric drivetrain.
The car was also seen testing on numerous occasions and more recently tugging an aeroplane. Yes, the electric car was being used as a tug, pulling a Lufthansa Cargo freight transport aircraft at the Frankfurt Airport. The aircraft that was being pulled by the electric prototype is a Boeing 777 which has an unladen weight of around 150 tons. It is being speculated that the car used is a near-production model and the feat was filmed for a 45 seconds teaser video.
The electric Mini is likely to be introduced to the Indian market at a later stage with the mass electrification policies that are being proposed in the country, which will definitely bring favourable conditions for the electric vehicle market. Many manufacturers, foreign and domestic are already showing interest and are expected to launch their products pretty soon.
In India, the Mini brand offers the three-door Cooper hatch, the five-door Cooper hatch, Mini convertible, Mini Clubman, Mini Countryman as well as the John Cooper Works versions. The price range for the Mini products in India starts from INR 29,90,000 ex-showroom.
In terms of rivals, the Mini range of cars in India rival the likes of Mercedes-Benz A-Class, BMW 1-Series and Volvo V40.