MINI’s first mass-market electric car looks set to be an instant hit when it arrives on the market next year, with the firm claiming 45,000 reservations have already been made for the model.
Speaking to German publication FAZ, Elena Eder, project leader for the EV, said: “So far, we already have over 45,000 registered prospects.”
A spokesperson has also confirmed that around 22,000 of those interested parties hail from the UK.
Revealed last month, the MINI Electric utilises a 32.6kWh battery borrowed from the BMW i3 city car. It’s said to be capable of up to 144 miles of range between charges, while total output from the powertrain is 181bhp and 270Nm of torque – sending the car form 0-60mph in a hot hatch-rivalling 7.1 seconds.
Production is set to begin in November at MINI’s Oxford plant, with first deliveries expected to begin in March 2020. Brexit has the potential to complicate the situation, but Eder says the firm is “ready” for it and doesn’t expect any delays.
She added: “We are ready for any eventuality.
“It does not affect us. It has been talked about for so long that we are prepared for all eventualities.”
The MINI Electric is the latest model in the firm’s bid to offer 25 electrified models by 2025 – with half of those to be fully-electric. Its only current electrified offering is the Countryman Plug-In Hybrid.
Back in 2009, the British manufacturer produced a small number of electric variants of the MINI hatch to test EV technology. Dubbed the MINI E, it was available through leasing in select parts of the US and Europe.
Production of the MINI Electric is due to begin later this year at the firm’s Oxford plant. It’s competitively priced for a premium electric vehicle, coming in at £24,400 after the government’s plug-in car grant.
