The MINI Cooper SE, the brand’s first
mass-production electric vehicle, has only arrived in dealerships in March this
year and already an updated model is in the pipeline. The photographers snapped
a fully camouflaged MINI Cooper SE prototype, revealing some minor updates for
the electric city car that will align it with the rest of the facelifted Mini
Hatch lineup.
The most obvious change is the redesigned
front bumper which gains a massive grille that looks exactly like the one on
the facelifted MINI Cooper S Plug-in Hybrid that was also spied recently.
Obviously, the MINI Cooper SE does not really need a grille and chances are it
will be closed-off when it reaches production. The new front bumper also gains
new air vents on the sides while ditching the existing model’s round fog
lights. The rest of the car appears unchanged, except the dashboard which is
partially camouflaged. This likely indicates the MINI Cooper SE will gain a new
infotainment interface.
We don’t expect any changes when it comes
to the powertrain, with the EV retaining the electric motor rated at 184 PS and 270 Nm of torque. The 32.6 kWh battery is also likely
to carry over, offering a maximum driving range of 270 km as per
WLTP or 177 km according to the EPA.
When it comes to performance, the MINI
Cooper SE goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds, with the top speed
limited at 150 km/h to protect the battery.
