New Mini To Downsize With All-Electric Tech

Next-generation MINI could be electric from the startReduction in size will see it match BMW's 2001 original

- James Brodie

THE future of the ever-popular MINI is being shaped behind closed doors right now, and brand boss Bernd Koerber has admitted that he has some very key goals in mind. He wants to shrink the car and turn it all-electric, and he wants to do it in time for the next-generation model, which will arrive early next decade.

Parent company BMW has been here before. In 2011 it revealed the Rocketman concept at the Geneva Motor Show, hinting at a future MINI city car powered by a range of three-cylinder engines. However, Koerber, who has been at the helm of MINI since last April, has made it clear that the firm’s next move will not be a straightforward resurrection of that concept. His preference is for MINI’s next-generation core hatchback to go back to the car’s original roots in terms of size and packaging.

Speaking exclusively to Auto Express at the Frankfurt Motor Show earlier this month, Koerber explained how the packaging benefits of electric drive mean that a smaller MINI will be possible once again.

“I would love to see MINI move back to the essence of clever use of space,” he told us. “That means the outer proportions on the core MINI Hatch could be reduced. I can see that happening.

“The benefit of electrification is that you don’t have to compromise on function. If you fit the battery wisely, you can go smaller but still offer functionality.”