Mini Cooper SE Convertible goes electric

15 February 2023

Do you remember the one-off electric Mini Convertible shown off last summer? The one that was never meant for production and was only meant to showcase the idea of an electric convertible from Mini? Guess what? It went into production.

BMW owned MIni performed a big U-turn on its one-off project and thanks to a rather convincing response from the public, the company decided to put last summer’s “just an idea” into a limited-run production of just 999 vehicles.

The limited run is not only in numbers but in choices as well, there are only two colors available - you can have it in White Silver or Enigmatic Black. All models have door handles, light surrounds and grille surround finished in Resolute Bronze.

As for the powertrain choices - there is only one. Single electric motor puts out 184 hp (135 kW) and works the front wheels. That is enough for the Mini to sprint from nought to 100 km/h in 8.2 seconds. It won’t break any records but it is sufficiently sprightly for a fun driving experience.

That experience though, might not last too long if you’re too happy with your right foot being in charge. The WLTP claimed range of 125 miles (201 km) can only be achieved with a lot of care and some serious tailwind. In real life you will never see the 200 km mark which is a shame but the company uses the same 32.6 kWh battery as is used in the non-convertible Cooper SE.

Mini compares driving the new electric Cooper SE to the experience of driving a go-kart. Sure, all Minis are nimble and handle really nicely but a nearly 4-meter long and at least 1,250 kg go-kart is a bit of a stretch of imagination.

The company is proudly pointing out that the 17-inch wheels are fully made from recycled aluminum and the electrically operated soft top can fold and unfold on the move - as long as the car stays below 30 km/h.

The limited run of 999 units will go on sale in April in Europe only and will be manufactured in the Netherlands. It’s great that the company actually considers the feedback form its customers and brings out the car that was never meant to go into production.

The new generation of electric Mini will have its own convertible version which will go on sale in 2025. This one will have more power and more range thanks to a dedicated EV platform developed together with the Great Wall Motor company from China. The new generation electric Mini has a longer wheelbase but retains overall size. The electric motor is slightly smaller but offers up to 221 hp and there will be two batteries on offer - 40 kWh and 50 kWh with the latter apparently able to deliver up to 400 km (250 miles) of range.

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