Rumor: MINI to Partner with Canoo to Build Urbanaut

[DimON]

File this under un-verified but interesting. The German publication Automobilwoche (via Electrive) is reporting act MINI has held initial talks with America start-up Canoo to provide a platform for a production version of the MINI Urbanaut.

According to Automobilwoche, the Arkansas & Oklahoma based start-up could produce the electric MINI Urbanaut using its skateboard chassis designed for van-like delivery vehicles.

How in the world is Canoo connected to MINI and BMW? Ex BMWi head Ulrich Kranz was an earlier leader at Canoo and had reportedly brokered the conversations. While the project stalled earlier this spring due to a change in the MINI brand management, the report goes on to say that if the “numbers are right, the operating systems are compatible and the quality does not cause any problems, the first American-made Mini should definitely have a chance in the Munich boardroom”.

Ironically that would make the only American made MINI the one least likely to sell well in America. That’s our opinion of course but small van-like products (MVPs as they’re called in Europe) have never found sales in the US market.

Still it’s an interesting turn of events for MINI and it shows the brand it exploring all options as it moved towards electrification.

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