Mini’s Upcoming Hardcore Electric Hot Hatch Teased As A Safety Car

Expect it to be quite similar to the Mini John Cooper Works GP, but with no tailpipes.

By: Andrei Nedelea

Mar 25, 2021 at 1:24pm ET

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Mini is the world’s first automaker that has announced the launch of an actual electric hot hatch. This is great news for keen drivers with a penchant for EVs, because if you’ve ever driven a modern Mini, then you know how fun they are, regardless of powertrain.

We got to experience the Mini Cooper SE, and even that warm hatch model, with the 182 horsepower electric motor borrowed from the BMW i3S, and we thought it was already remarkably fun to drive. It’s possibly the most enjoyable to drive electric car that you can have for reasonable money. It did not make us wave our arms in the air acclaiming its range, but aside from that, we found a lot to like about it (primarily the driving dynamics and the fact that it still felt like a Mini, even sans the ICE under the hood).

Gallery: MINI John Cooper Works Electric (prototype)

Now, Mini is teasing what we expect to be a proper electric hot hatch which will borrow the 302 horsepower John Cooper Works GP model’s garish body kit (complete with flared wheel arches, although they may be slightly different for this model). We expect changes in the frontal area of the car too, as the new electric GP needs less air than the 2-liter turbo for cooling, and we’re pretty sure its official color scheme will involve a lot of yellow.

What do we actually know about this model? Well, aside from the fact that Mini recently teased in the posture of a safety car, not that much, really. The teaser shot also shows the rear bumper of the vehicle with what appears to be a vertical fog light (or possibly a third brake light) integrated into the center of the diffuser.

Why is Mini doing this? Well, the Mini brand is expected to go fully-electric before its parent brand, BMW. The decision was probably made to get this vehicle out as more of a poster vehicle to make people associate the brand with electrification and performance, since Mini plans to ditch ICE altogether in the early 2030s.

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