This time it’s not a sporty S or JCW version, but a less performance-focused Cooper variant. Mini will really start pushing the EV angle next year when it starts delivering the all-new electric Mini hatch (now rebranded ‘Cooper’) and Convertible, and the also-new Countryman, which is available in purely electric form for the first time. It’s all part of the Mini brand’s commitment to be an EV-only brand by 2030.
But since not all Mini fans are ready to
embrace electric power, today’s Mini hatch and convertible will get a mild
makeover that should see them through until the end of the decade. The EV and
ICE models will run on entirely different platforms, and although they’ll both
have that recognizable Mini look, they’ll also have their own characters. While
the EV goes for a cleaner, more modern, and more luxury-oriented style,
adopting a smaller, boxier hood, flush door handles, and plain wheel arches,
the carryover ICE hatch and convertible retain their clamshell hoods, plastic
fender trims, and protruding door handles.
They are likely to have most in common in
the cabin, where the revised combustion Minis adopt the slick new 9.4-inch
circular OLED infotainment screen that made its debut in the Cooper EV earlier
this year. The ICE Minis are also sure to get a big boost in interior quality,
again inspired by the handsome new interior of their EV brother. The taillights
will also borrow the EV’s split Union Jack LED graphic.
Compared with the sporty convertible
prototype we spotted last month this car has much less aggressive bumpers and
no visible exhaust system to take away gases from what we think will be a
mildly updated version of today’s engine, probably fitted with mild hybrid
assistance. The current 1.5-liter three-cylinder produces 134 hp,
while the 2.0-liter four-cylinder develops 189 hp in S tune and 228 hp as a JCW. Mini hasn’t revealed the refreshed ICE hatch yet and the
convertible might even be announced a month or two later, but you can expect
both variants to go on sale at some point during 2024 for the 2025 model year.
