2017 Frankfurt Motor Show: Mini Electric Concept confirmed

Mini has confirmed it will reveal an all-electric three-door concept at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, which will provide a glimpse into its first production EV that’s due in 2019.

Mini is holding its cards to its chest in relation to powertrain details, except to say the single-motor, pure battery-electric set up will be ‘very powerful’ and promises ‘exciting driving dynamics’ on urban and rural roads with a ‘maximised range’.

The concept’s three-door design is unmistakably Mini with the redundant front grille blanked off to reduce drag. The hexagonal grille is highlighted by a yellow accent bar, which harks back to the Mini E, and features an E badge whose shape also appears on the doors and the LED daytime running lights.

Headlights and tail-lights are also all-LED, with the latter each forming half a Union Jack in a dot matrix.

The concept’s sides feature aerodynamic deflectors and intakes on its otherwise clean silhouette, which are admittedly for show but seem wasted on anything but a piston-pumping hot hatch. The most eye-catching feature however is the 19-inch wheels with black 3D-printed aerodynamic inlays.

Parent company, BMW says the Mini Electric Concept offers a “window into how pure-electric, day-to-day mobility might look in the years ahead” with BMW Board of Management Member, Peter Schwarzenbauer adding that it’s “great fun to drive while also being completely suitable for everyday use – and producing zero emissions to boot”.

The Mini Electric Concept is the latest in a growing line of electrified minis, including the Mini E. The pure-electric Cooper hatch was the BMW Group’s first EV and was produced in limited numbers and leased out to selected owners to gain data that was later fed into the i3’s development.

This year, Mini started selling its plug-in hybrid Cooper SE Countryman All4, but the super-frugal SUV model is yet to be confirmed for Australia, as are any of BMW’s EV models that will start rolling out in 2019.

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