This Stylish Runabout Is Mini's Latest Electric Hatchback Vision

Almost 10 years after BMW’s first crack at making an electric Mini, the company is at it again with the Mini Electric Concept – and this one is close to production-ready.

More than 600 Mini E prototypes were shipped out to real-world users in various countries across the world, leased on a temporary basis while Mini collected data on how the cars were used. That data went into the design and engineering stages of the BMW i3, but now things have moved on.

Mini is pretty confident that the Electric Concept ticks all the boxes that its customers expect to be ticked. Brace yourself for an onslaught of buzzwords, as Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President of BMW Group Design says:

“The Mini Electric Concept is a quintessential Mini – compact, agile, simply the ideal companion for everyday driving. At the same time, it conveys a whole new take on the concept of sportiness.

“Indeed, aerodynamics and lightweight design aren’t just important in the world of motor sport; they are also essential factors for maximising electric range. The car’s surfaces have a sense of precision and contemporary clarity about them that lends added impact to the car’s efficient character. Plus, striking accents and vivid contrasts give the exterior that distinctive Mini twist.”

Naturally a lot of the concept’s looks are for show. While the grille is closed off for better aerodynamics, the vents in front of the front wheels are purely aesthetic. They’re closed off too, but they’ve been given the appearance of vents because the bumper needs some visual furniture if it’s not going to look weird. The ‘vents’ at the side and rear are fake, too.

There’s functional aerodynamic bodywork with branding evidence that Mini is planning to reuse the ‘E’ badge as and when it builds a production run of electric hatchbacks. The ‘E’ motif finds homes on the doors, on the front grille, the charging socket cover and on the mirror caps.

A cool concept feature is a series of 3D-printed inlays in the 19-inch wheels that help pare a few grams off the overall weight. The unusual asymmetrical design must be slightly more awkward than normal to balance and we wouldn’t expect them to make production, but we love the rear tail light clusters inspired by the Union Jack flag.

This is a ‘near-term’ project, says Mini, meaning ‘expect it’. The firm is planning to display the Electric Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show, before making a decision on when to give a production version the go-ahead.