Paparazzi are a blessing and a curse, in this case mean for Mini and good for the fans. They are impatiently waiting for photos of the new small car, which is to be shown for the first time at the IAA in Munich in September. Now he can already be seen here. During filming in California, the British small car drove spies in front of the lens, who were certainly not in the service of Her Majesty, and there can be no doubt: this is what the new Mini Cooper looks like.

Holger Appel

Editor in business, responsible for "Technology and Motor".

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Anyway, the two-door, there will also be a new Countryman and an in-between thing that listens to the name Aceman. The picture shows the electric version, which carries the suffix SE and is built in China. The model with combustion engine is created in England and looks hardly different. The short overhangs have remained, the round headlights are part of the DNA, the taillights make a leap into modernity, which may lead to discussions. The interior is not yet visible, it relies, as we can already report, on a much more reduced design with clean lines and a cool-looking round instrument in the middle, as is typical for Mini.

From now on, consisting of three basic forms, the range consists of the classic Mini, which now always bears the name Cooper, the even larger SUV Countryman and a model called Aceman in between. The two-door model will be 3.86 meters short, but it will also be available as a four-door and as a convertible. The vigorously applying Countryman measures 4.43 meters in the future, the Aceman approaching in the middle comes in the guise of a crossover derivative to 4.07 meters, it will not be shown in full bloom until 2024 and drive exclusively electrically.

Initially, gasoline engines and electric drives are planned in parallel, from the year 2030 Mini wants to offer only electric models. The electric models come in two power levels, they have 183 or 217 hp (135 or 160 kW), with 40 or 54 kWh battery standard ranges of 300 to 400 kilometers should be possible. The Countryman comes up with 190 or 272 hp, 64 kWh battery capacity and 420 to 440 kilometers standard range, it carries the most BMW in its genes and is built in Germany.

Just like the Mini brand, the sub-brand John Cooper Works, which focuses on consistent sportiness, will also be electrified, although electrified does not automatically have to mean fully electric. Here the drive is still a secret, it is speculated about a plug-in hybrid to increase performance. This would be remarkable insofar as Mini will basically dispense with plug-in hybrid drives, i.e. the combination of battery drive that can be charged at the socket and combustion engine. The confidence in the henceforth finally usable range of the full electricians also leads to the fact that the hitherto artificially drawn limit of the maximum speed of 150 km / h falls.