Mini has confirmed that the long-anticipated electric Mini Cooper will finally launch on July 9th, serving as the company’s first production fully-electric vehicle.
According to MotorAuthority, the latest addition to the Mini vehicle portfolio will bear the name of Mini Cooper S E Hardtop. It will also have two doors, making it a small three-door (plus the hatch) hatchback.
The new Mini is expected to share powertrain components like the electric motors from the BMW i3 S, a compact luxury electric car from Mini’s parent company BMW.
Because of this, performance figures could be similar. The BMW i3 S has 180 electrified horses, roughly 200 lb-ft of instant torque, and a range of 250km plus or minus.
But the two cars may send their power to the ground in different ways. On the Mini, the borrowed electric motors will reportedly drive the front axle as opposed to the rear axle implementation on the i3 S. In other words, it’s a front wheel drive car like the Honda Civic.
This is also not the first time the British automaker dabbled its feet in the EV business. In 2008, the company created the experimental Mini E electric Hardtop in a limited run of just 500 examples. Mini also sells a plug-in-hybrid compact crossover called Cooper S E ALL4 Countryman (letter E stands for electrification).
Pre-orders are now open in Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway. MINI may bring the car to the US, UK, Italy, and Spain if these markets show a sufficient amount of demands.
Source: Mini, via: Motor Authority
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