{"id":40084,"date":"2023-01-11T07:27:59","date_gmt":"2023-01-11T12:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=40084"},"modified":"2023-01-11T07:27:59","modified_gmt":"2023-01-11T12:27:59","slug":"mini-confirms-two-electric-vehicles-2023-launch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=40084","title":{"rendered":"MINI Confirms Two Electric Vehicles Will Be Launched In 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sales of MINIs dropped by 3% in 2022 to 292,923 cars, but demand for electric vehicles increased significantly as the Cooper SE found 43,744 new homes in the year that just ended. The zero-emission small hatchback enjoyed a 25.5% jump in sales compared to the year before. At the same time, the number of plug-in hybrid and electric cars went up by 14.3% to 60,839 units, thus accounting for about 21% of all deliveries.<\/p>\n

In 2023, MINI celebrates its 110th anniversary and intends to introduce two battery-powered cars. The British brand part of the BMW Group doesn\u2019t go into any details about the models, only saying they\u2019ll be \u201cthe first two fully electric models of the new MINI family.\u201d However, we have a good idea of what the year will bring: next-generation Cooper SE and the first-ever electric Countryman.<\/p>\n

Already teased<\/a>, the Cooper SE will usher in a new design language for the brand. MINI will move production of the electric hatch from Oxford to China as part of a partnership signed with Great Wall Motor back in 2019. The BMW Group formed a joint venture dubbed \u201cSpotlight Automotive\u201d with GWM and the plan is to make up to 160,000 cars at a new plant in Zhangjiagang.<\/p>\n

A Cooper SE Convertible<\/a> has already been confirmed for a launch in 2025 and will likely be made in China as well. On a related note, the next gasoline-fueled droptop model<\/a> will be assembled in Oxford, unlike the current car made in the Netherlands by the VDL Nedcar automotive manufacturing company.<\/p>\n

While the outgoing model shares its platform with the combustion-engined car, the new Cooper SE will use dedicated electric vehicle underpinnings developed together by MINI and Great Wall Motor. The gasoline versions are sticking around for one final generation and will continue to be made at home in the UK.<\/p>\n