BMW has unveiled images of the camouflaged Mini Countryman at its Leipzig plant in Germany.
Mini, a brand owned by BMW, is set to introduce a fully electric version of the Countryman compact SUV this year, as the company prepares to expand its electric vehicle range to three models within the next two years.
According to BMW, the new Countryman will provide more room than its predecessor, and will utilize the FAAR platform, which is front-wheel drive, the same platform as the 1 Series BMWs.
Production of the Countryman will take place in Leipzig, Germany, alongside BMW’s 1 Series, 2 Series Gran Coupe, and 2 Series Active Tourer models. The Countryman will be built in Leipzig for the first time alongside BMW models, and it will be the first time a Mini has been built in Germany.
BMW has stated that in addition to the full-electric Countryman, the SUV will be sold with internal combustion engines, and is expected to discontinue the plug-in hybrid version, which was Mini’s first plug-in vehicle.
Stefanie Wurst, head of Mini, said at the launch of the Aceman concept in September 2022 that the electric Countryman will be followed by the Aceman small electric SUV and an electric version of the new Mini hatchback. This expansion of Mini’s EV lineup will occur before the brand goes all-electric in Europe in 2030.
BMW is reportedly reconsidering its plan to have all Mini brand’s new electric cars built by its China joint venture and may build new electric Minis at its home plant in Oxford, England, due to tensions between the West and China.
The Mini Electric battery-powered model is currently produced at the Oxford plant, which is expected to be replaced by China-developed EVs.
Sky News reported earlier this week that Mini is about to announce a new investment worth “hundreds of millions of pounds.”
Last year in Europe, Mini sold 34,863 full-electric hatchbacks out of a total of 98,788 for the model. The brand sold 43,910 Countrymans, of which 14,265 were plug-in hybrids.
BMW is preparing to manufacture the Mini Countryman at its German plant in Leipzig, and has unveiled pictures of the camouflaged vehicle. The Mini brand is planning to launch an all-electric version of the compact SUV this year, as it aims to expand its EV range to three models over the next two years. The new Countryman will have more space than its predecessor and will use the FAAR platform, which is also utilised in BMW’s smaller cars, such as the 1 Series. Alongside the BMW 1 Series, 2 Series Gran Coupe and 2 Series Active Tourer, the Countryman will be manufactured in Leipzig, marking the first time a Mini will be produced in Germany and with BMW models. BMW also announced that the SUV will also be available with internal combustion engines. The new electric Countryman will be followed by an all-electric version of the Mini hatchback and the Aceman small electric SUV. The expansion of the Mini EV line-up is planned before the brand becomes all-electric in Europe by 2030. Despite originally scheduling all new Mini electric cars to be built at its joint venture plant in China, tensions between China and the West have led BMW to reconsider the plan, with new electric Minis possibly being built at the Oxford plant in England instead.