VIRTUALLY silent motoring, with MINI style, is set to arrive mid-next year, when the fully electric MINI Cooper SE goes on sale in Australia, after the new model made its debut at the IAA Frankfurt International Motor Show.
It will mark a new era for the brand in providing a progressive modern solution to the changing motoring world, wrapped in a package that is unmistakably MINI, and described as a game changer for the Australian market.
The MINI Cooper SE hatch is based on the striking three door, conventionally powered MINI Cooper hatch, but with dynamic, model specific accents, including a powerful 135kW electric motor.
The new model offers impressive acceleration and instant throttle response that adds a new dimension to the MINI’s fabled go kart feeling. Bespoke suspension tuning and a low centre of gravity will only serve to enhance that through remarkable handling agility.
The change is the result of the positioning of the lithium-ion batteries in the floor of the 2020 MINI Cooper SE hatch, which will be capable of a 0-100km/h sprint in just 7.3 seconds.
The energy required to propel the car with such vigour is sourced from a latest generation battery, and enables a driving range of between 235 and 270 kilometres. The battery’s location has the additional benefits too.
It ensures exactly the same amount of space is available for occupants and luggage as in a MINI three door hatch powered by a combustion engine. The Cooper SE hatch will be built in Oxford in the UK, the birthplace of the MINI brand some 60 years ago.
The new model’s debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show coincides with anniversary celebrations for the British car maker, and also marks the stunning 10 million vehicle milestone, achieved since the very first MINI rolled off the production line in 1959.
MINI Australia will announce pricing and specification details for the local edition of the 2020 MINI Cooper SE hatch closer to its physical launch next year.
