Future Electric MINIs Could Go Rear-Wheel Drive with More Range & Faster Charging

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Since the dawn of the Mini in 1959, front-wheel drive has been a cornerstone of the brand. But that could soon change as MINI prepares to adopt BMW’s Neue Klasse architecture and its Gen6 800V technology.

We first broke the news in fall 2023 that MINI was planning to move the next-generation Countryman onto BMW’s flexible Neue Klasse platform, allowing it to take full advantage of vastly improved Gen6 800V battery and motor tech. A system that will increase range and charging speed by 30% while reducing costs. The result isn’t just more range but also the ability to adding 186 miles of range in only 10 minutes with fast charging.

But that shift also means MINI would follow BMW’s engineering philosophy of a balanced, rear-wheel-drive-based layout.

The Future of the MINI Countryman

While the NE5-based MINI Countryman is likely three to five years away, its potential technical capabilities are becoming clearer following BMW’s recent reveal of the first Neue Klasse-based vehicle, the BMW iX3. While the next Countryman is unlikely to be the same size as the electric iX3, it will share the same skateboard chassis concept and, more importantly, BMW’s Gen6 electric motors and battery technology.

Rear-Wheel-Drive MINIs

BMW’s Gen6 electric engines

With BMW Group’s Gen6 battery and motor architecture, a clearer picture of MINI’s future EV drivetrain configurations is emerging. The most significant change is that the Gen6 platform will only support rear-wheel drive (RWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). According to BMW Group engineers who spoke to Autocar, there are no plans to develop a front-wheel-drive (FWD) version of this architecture.

The platform will allow for a single-motor setup (likely for lower-trim BMW and MINI models), but this motor will drive only the rear wheels due to the platform’s layout. Additionally, the architecture supports dual-, tri-, and even quad-motor configurations, all of which will be rear-biased. The reasoning behind this approach is that RWD setups provide superior driving dynamics due to better weight distribution and traction advantages.

BMW’s Gen6 battery pack

For the next-generation Countryman, the entry-level model will likely feature a single-motor RWD setup, while dual-motor AWD configurations will likely be standard for the “S” and John Cooper Works (JCW) variants—similar to how the current SE variant is positioned.

When asked about the potential end of front-wheel-drive MINIs, BMW Group Purchasing and Supply Board Member Joachim Post gave a noncommittal response, stating, “We will see what the future is.” He added that MINI models will “always have Mininess” while emphasizing the company’s focus on delivering an optimal driving experience.

What This Could Mean for the Future Cooper EV

We broke the story last year that MINI was pausing plans to produce the J01 and J05 MINI EVs in the UK, making the future of the Cooper EV uncertain. If BMW were able to adapt the Neue Klasse platform for smaller MINI models, delaying UK production to accommodate an entirely new Cooper EV design could be a logical strategy. However, at this stage, this remains speculation. While BMW has confirmed that Neue Klasse will underpin all models from the X1 upward, it remains unclear whether smaller models like the Cooper EV and Aceman will transition to this platform or follow a different technical path.

Timeline for a Rear-Wheel-Drive MINI

Given that MINI just introduced an entirely new generation of models in 2024, these changes are still several years away – every for the Countryman. While some reports in 2023 suggested that MINI could move the Countryman EV to the Neue Klasse platform as early as 2027, no official confirmation or indication has been given by MINI or BMW.

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