Mini is still testing the next-generation of its model under camouflage, trying to pass it off as one of its current models. However, we have actually seen leaked photos of the model set to arrive next year, and the front end certainly looks very similar to that of the refreshed current model, but the rear end is noticeably different.
In fact, the look of the rear end is the biggest design departure for a Mini since the original BMW Mini debuted some 20 years ago. The interior has also been given a major revamp, featuring a completely new and more minimalistic design.
Now our spies have sent us a new batch of photos showing the fully electric version of the next Mini undergoing cold weather testing. We know it’s electric because of the obvious sticker on the rear bumper, as well as the lack of a tailpipe.
Gallery: 2023 Mini Cooper Electric
Mini is still trying to fool us that this new model’s rear end is going to be an evolution of the current model’s, but we know better than to believe that. From the rear perspective, you can also see that the shape of the greenhouse has changed too - it now tapers more towards the rear of the vehicle, moving away from the more squared off design of its predecessor.
There’s currently no word on specs for the electric Mini, but it will surely get a bigger battery than what equips the current Cooper SE (one of the lowest-range EVs you can buy). With just 28.9 kWh usable capacity, it has a real world range of under 124 miles (200 km) - its EPA estimate of 114 miles is actually a bit conservative, and it should do a bit more.
Mini wants more than 50 percent of the new vehicles it sells to be completely electric by 2027, and alongside the battery-powered version of the hatch, the manufacturer will also launch an electric version of the next-gen Countryman crossover (which will be mechanically very similar to the upcoming BMW iX1, the i3’s indirect replacement).
