MINI Electric Concept previews 2019 production car

Khodrocar - The MINI Electric Concept’s name explains much of what you need to know about this car: it’s an all-electric (EV) concept from MINI that previews the company’s first full production EV, due in 2019.

The Electric Concept isn’t MINI’s first electric car – that award goes to the MINI E, which was revealed almost a decade ago. But while the MINI E was built as part of a "field study” that saw members of the public test out the idea of an electric MINI, the MINI Electric Concept prepares the ground for a forthcoming production EV – which MINI recently announced would be assembled at the firm's factory in Oxford.

Its concept status means the MINI Electric Concept’s designers had relatively free rein when styling it. At the front, a yellow "accent bar”, distinctive LED headlights and a blanked-off radiator grille mark it out from other MINIs, while the pronounced front ‘air intakes’ exist purely for aesthetic stance. The rear lights, meanwhile, are designed to evoke the Union Flag, although the resemblance the stylised wheels bear to the UK’s three-pin domestic power socket is thought to be coincidental.

While some of these details are more likely to make it into production than others, the yellow ‘E’ is expected to become the brand’s logo for its EV vehicles.

The concept will make its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in a few weeks' time.

MINI hasn’t announced figures for the Electric Concept’s battery range and performance, but it’s possible the first production MINI EV will follow the lead set by parent company BMW’s electric i3. That would equate to a range of around 185 miles and a 0-62mph time of around 7.5 seconds, while recharging the batteries to 80% capacity could take as little as 30 minutes at a rapid charger.

The MINI Electric Concept will be unveiled to the public at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show and will be followed by a production model, set to arrive in 2019.

Source: carbuyer.co.uk