Part 1: Did MINI Go Electric Too Soon? (Why & How)

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Welcome to Part 1 in a two part series where we look at MINI’s decision to go all electric. What went into the decision, the major hurdles that have arisen and where that leaves the brand now. Look for Part 2 tomorrow where we’ll talk about when the brand is going electric and what’s next.

There’s been a shift in electric vehicle demand in some markets globally that has spooked automakers. Europe went from 28% EV growth in 2023 to just 2% so far for the year. Yet other market like the US continue to see growth. Which all begs the question – did MINI commit to an all electric line-up too soon?

But before we answer that question we have to go back to 2019 when MINI began what was known internally as “Project Grizzly”. Peter Schwarzenbauer, who at the time was the BMW Board Member responsible for MINI, stated that “To secure the long-term future of MINI, we will enable the range to be all electric, should the customer prefer that. The key issue is we do not know how quickly electric mobility will spread, so it was strategically important to leave this option open depending on the circumstance. Let me be clear, though, there will not be a single MINI model we plan to launch that a customer won’t be able to order with an electrified drivetrain.

The J01 electric MINI Cooper

The stated goal was that the brand would be all electric around 2030. To bring customers along with this seismic shift, MINI’s plan was to adopt BMW’s “power of choice” strategy offering both electric and combustion powertrains on key models. In hindsight this was incredibly smart as adoption of EVs is proving to be wildly different depending on market and customer segment.

To enact Project Grizzly, MINI had a three-prong approach that would see production span the globe and ultimately prove troublesome.

MINI’s Electric & Combustion Strategy Explained Across Three product Lines

The Fully Electric Cooper (J01, J03) & Aceman (J05)

First (and the most radical) MINI partnered with Great Wall Motors to co-develop a skate-board chassis to help defray the massive costs of a new electric vehicle platform. This is the foundation of the German engineered and designed the fully electric J01 MINI Cooper, J03 MINI Cooper Convertible and J05 MINI Aceman. The initial plan was for all three of these models to be built in China with plans to expand production to the UK either near the end of the decade or with the introduction of the 5th generation MINI Cooper range in 2031. Due to recent tariffs imposed by the US and the EU, MINI rapidly change strategy and will now produce all three of its new electric cars in the UK from 2026.

The Combustion & Electric Countryman (U25)

Second MINI leveraged BMW’s second generation UKL platform (which underpins the BMW X1, X2 and 2 Series Active Tourer) to build its 3rd generation MINI Countryman. Because of the versatile nature of the platform, the new Countryman is capable of offering full electric, petrol and even diesel powertrains. It’s built on Leipzig Germany alongside the bMW X1 and X2.

The Combustion Cooper (F65, F66, F67)

Finally MINI thoroughly refreshed the petrol powered F56 turning it into the F66 family of MINI Coopers. Designed to be purely a petrol model, this part of the strategy came together later than the J01 and U25. The intention was that the F66 and its family of vehicles mirror the design and tech that the J01 family would debut. The thought is that customers choice would simply be between combustion and electric.

But did MINI miss something but going either 100% electric or 100% combustion? And how will its rush to being all electric by 2030 impact sales and customer sentiment? Was it a premature decision? We’ll touch on those topics and more in Part 2: Did MINI Go Electric Too Soon? tomorrow

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