New electric Mini to release as a sporty JCW offshoot

The “Mini John Cooper Works E PROtotype”, as the vehicle is called in the press release, will be nothing less than a “significant milestone” for Mini – precisely because it will be the first all-electric JCW model. “With its striking design and advanced electric drive, this prototype epitomises MINI’s commitment to innovation and electromobility,” says the BMW brand.

The corresponding production model, the Mini John Cooper Works E, is to be presented later this year. Mini has not yet provided any technical data. The only thing that is clear is that the John Cooper Works E will be noticeably more powerful than the Cooper SE (160 kW). The combustion models in the previous generation already had an output of 170 kW and even 225 kW in the GP version available in 2020.

In the current generation, which was developed together with Great Wall, the Cooper S with a four-cylinder petrol engine already delivers 150 kW. A significant increase in performance is therefore likely for the John Cooper Works versions of the current generation – in future, the JCW versions will be available with both electric and petrol engines. Whether the John Cooper Works E will also have a new battery (Cooper SE: 54.2 kWh) will probably not be announced until the world premiere.

The “Mini John Cooper Works” sports version should not be confused with the “John Cooper Works Trim” equipment line. The equipment line is already available for the Cooper E and Cooper SE and includes sporty design elements inside and out. The “fully-fledged” JCW models, on the other hand, not only have a sporty design, but also more power and a more dynamically tuned chassis. The exact changes to the electric version are not yet known.

In recent years, there has been a trend in the automotive industry to use the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which was once launched as a motorsport event, for premieres or prototypes. As there is no major motor show in the UK like the IAA or the Paris Motor Show, manufacturers have increasingly booked major brand appearances at the Festival of Speed to show new models to the public – or to take part in the legendary “Hill Climb” at Goodwood with prototypes and one-offs. Porsche previously sent the Taycan to Goodwood before the world premiere, VW set a new record at the Hill Climb with the ID.R electric racing car, Ford showed a spectacular electric Transit Custom as a racing car in 2022 and Hyundai presented the Ioniq 5 N last year, to name just a few examples.

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