The production version of the electric model is currently being tested in prototype form in the Arctic Circle. Brand boss Sebastian Mackensen said the Mini Electric will be what Alec Issigonis, the man who made the original Mini, would have made today had he been alive. “We always joke and say if Issigonis would invent the Mini today, it would definitely be an Electric Car,” said Mackensen. “It is the answer to current challenges, as the original Mini was in 1959.”
The company previewed the car as the Mini Electric concept of 2017 and it is currently undergoing cold weather testing. “We always talk about go-kart feeling and probably the electric Mini will bring that to another level,” he added. “The torque and the responsiveness, combined with the low centre of weight – it will stick to the ground even more [than the combustion-engined car].”
Mini’s Electric production will be handled at the brand’s Oxford plant in 2019. The first electric will be limited to 600 examples, but the company will continue to make more cars after.