Mini may be going all-electric but it hasn’t forgotten its convertible heritage.
BMW Blog reports Mini will introduce an all-electric convertible by 2025.
The new drop-top will replace the existing Mini Convertible, which will end production in 2024.
While the Convertible only accounted for around seven per cent of Mini’s sales in Australia in 2020, globally every fifth Mini sold in 2020 was a convertible.
The next-generation convertible will be built upon a new variant of UKL architecture.
Current Mini hatchback and convertible models use the UKL1 platform, while the UKL2 platform is used by the Mini Clubman and Countryman plus BMW’s front-wheel drive models.
2021 Mini Convertible
Expect the new Mini convertible to have similar outputs to the current Mini Electric, which produces 135kW of power and 270Nm of torque from its single, front-mounted electric motor.
Range for this model is currently up to 233km on the stricter WLTP cycle.
Mini has already announced that it will sell only electric vehicles by the early 2030s, some of which will be manufactured with its Chinese partner, Great Wall Motors.
By 2027, it expects at least half of its sales to be of electric vehicles.
In addition to keeping the Convertible alive, Mini has confirmed it’s working on a more powerful, all-electric John Cooper Works model.
The larger Countryman will also be available with an electric drivetrain come 2023.
While electric vehicles are rapidly proliferating, all-electric convertibles are virtually unheard of.
Tesla has previewed its second-generation Roadster, which features a targa-style removable roof.
It’ll certainly be quicker than any Mini, with an estimated 0-100km/h time of a ballistic 2.1 seconds.
MG has confirmed it’ll build the Cyberster sports car concept, revealed earlier this year.
A futuristic, all-electric take on classic MG roadsters of yore, it’s claimed to do the 0-100km/h sprint in less than three seconds.
While the classic Mini was never available as a convertible from the factory, a drop-top has been available in every generation of Mini introduced under BMW ownership.
