Here at Orlando MINI, we have a lot of people coming in asking to test drive an electric MINI car, but the automaker hasn’t quite gotten there—yet. The good news is, there are a ton of new MINI cars on our lot that you can take home today, but if you’re a die-hard EV enthusiast, you probably won’t have to wait too much longer to get your hands on an EV. The MINI brand has confirmed that a fully electric MINI is in the works, and they’re already testing the concept on public roads.
According to sketches released by the automaker, the EV version will be upgraded with a more modern look, including a new grille that still has the iconic hexagon shape. There hasn’t been any performance specifications released yet, but it does have unique wheels with yellow accents around the outer lip and an “E” in the middle. The name hasn’t yet been dropped either, but it seems like the MINI brand has big plans for what this model will mean for the brand.
Head of MINI Design, Oliver Heilmer explains “Mini is an urban brand and the fully-electric Mini is the logical next step into the future,” and that “These initial sketches for the fully electrified MINI outline our vision of authentic design creating a bridge between the history of the brand and its electric future.”
This will be the first full production of a MINI car that will be fully electric. In 2008, a limited production of an electric MINI E was presented at the LA Auto Show, but they were only available to lease to customers in major cities. Full scale production of the fully electric MINI car is expected to start in 2019.
