The MINI Cooper is one of the cutest vehicles in history. It always looks so stylish, and it makes one fondly think of a different era, or Bond films, or something else fun and mysterious. We just saw a convertible version today, and we admired how cool it looked. Incidentally, soon, convertible MINI Coopers we see out on the road could be electric. That’s because the first electric convertible MINI Cooper SE is now in the works.
“Following the positive feedback on the unique specimen presented in summer 2022, MINI is now going ahead with a small series of the all-electric MINI Cooper SE Convertible (power consumption combined: 17.2 kWh/100 km according to WLTP; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km) which represents another big step in the direction of electric mobility,” BMW Group writes.
Unfortunately, I spoke too soon — we won’t be seeing electric Cooper SEs on the roads of Florida, where I live, after all. MINI is producing just 999 units of the MINI Cooper SE convertible, and they will be going on sale in Europe in about two months, in April 2023.
“Three years ago we launched the all-electric MINI Cooper SE, and today one in five MINI sold in Europe is an all-electric MINI. This success has spurred us to implement the small series of the MINI Cooper SE Convertible within only a few months. I’m delighted that we can offer 999 MINI customers an extraordinary and exclusive open-air go-kart feeling,” says Stefanie Wurst, Head of the MINI Brand.
It took just 8 months to get this MINI Cooper SE convertible from concept to reality.
Various aesthetic details can be found over in the BMW Group press release. But aside from that, how about some specs?
- Length: 3,850 mm | Wheelbase: 2,495 mm | Width: 1,727 mm | Height: 1,427 mm
- 135 kW/184 hp electric motor
- 0 to 100 km/h in 8.2 seconds.
- 201 kilometres of range (EPA)
There’s nothing Earth shattering there. In fact, the numbers are a bit weak. But MINI got the job done. It’s the cute factor that makes this model compelling.
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