Mini to show new design language with EV crossover

Mini will unveil a radical-looking new concept car next month that will spearhead a fresh design language as it heads towards becoming an EV-only brand from 2023.

The electric crossover concept will pave the way for Mini models of the future, the brand said, and will join soon-to-be-revealed electric versions of the Mini three-door hatchback and Mini Countryman SUV.

This concept, to be revealed at the end of July, will sit beneath the Countryman as a smaller high-rider but with a premium price point.

It will be built in China as part of the Spotlight joint venture between the BMW Group – Mini’s parent brand – and Great Wall Motor.

Mini said the concept’s radical look will “combine the brand’s traditional values with state-of-the-art technology” and “provide the first full preview of the new design language for the next-generation all-electric model family”.

Mini design boss Oliver Heilmer said: “Purely electrically powered models from Mini give us a unique opportunity to rethink our design. 

“At the same time, we retain the attention to detail, sense of tradition and passion for innovation that Mini is renowned for.”

He added that the British brand wants to make every model even more unique to each other, with the “creation of independent vehicle personalities being one of the central features of the new design language”. 

One example of this is new LED technology, which gives the typical Union Jack design of Mini’s rear lights a variety of forms, creating “an individual light signature for each model”.

Mini will also dramatically push its sustainability credentials as part of this new design language, so for example will no longer use leather for interiors and will reduce its use of chrome.

The brand’s current models are also set to go. The Mini five-door hatchback won’t get an electric version, the firm said, and the Clubman estate is unlikely to be replaced.

Also on the chopping block is the plug-in hybrid version of the Countryman.