MINI sure knows how to make a statement! To build hype around their first ever EV launching next year, the British automaker has revealed a very special car that is being unveiled today at the New York International Auto Show.
It is a classic MINI that features an electric powertrain. The carefully restored MINI sports a red exterior with a contrasting white roof. Designers also installed hood stripes and an assortment of yellow MINI Electric badges on the bonnet, wheel caps and trunk.
MINI declined to release technical specifications but the automaker confirmed the car is powered by a single electric motor. The result is a truly epic one-off classic.
MINI believes electric powertrains are a solution to common problems drivers experience today – much like how the original Cooper was a solution to a fuel shortage. The characteristics of electric powertrains, i.e. compact dimensions, simple design and responsive torque, also make them a perfect fit for MINI, a brand with a strong appreciation for tininess and zippiness.
Mini says the electric motor in the classic MINI Electric “provides a new dimension to the unmistakable go-kart feeling that helped propel the British small car in its original form to worldwide popularity.”
MINI's first EV is scheduled for launch in 2019, co-incidentally the 60th anniversary of the classic model. The car is expected to look like any ordinary 3-door MINI but will use a different front grill and some other subtle design tweaks.
