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Mini Electric John Cooper Works in development – UPDATE

A sporty version of the fully-electric Mini hatch is on its way, with a mule spotted testing in Germany.


UPDATE, November 17: The Mini Electric John Cooper Works has been teased in a video about the BMW iNext (or, by its production name, iX).

Bringing cameras into BMW's secretive design studio, images of the new Mini Electric JCW were spotted on a computer and desktop, before been hurriedly covered up in what was clearly a staged scene.

The all-electric hot hatch appears to share much of its body with the Mini JCW GP, but the sketches show yellow highlights liberally applied across the vehicle's exterior. Most notably, however, is the absence of tailpipes, all but confirming that this is an electric version of a JCW Mini.


November 3, 2020: It appears as if a Mini Electric John Cooper Works is currently in development.

Spies have spotted an unusual camouflaged Mini Electric driving outside of BMW's test centre, adjacent to the Nurburgring circuit. BMW has owned the Mini brand since 1996.

Mini-specialist website MotoringFile reports the prototype was spotted wearing the body kit borrowed from the track-focused Mini JCW GP (shown below), but instead uses the Mini Electric's front grille, limiting air into the engine bay and improving aerodynamics.

Also conspicuously missing from the mule vehicle was a set of exhaust pipes.

While the JCW-fettled Mini Electric prototype spied might have the visual aggression to match its high-performance badge, details of what powers it remain unclear. An upgrade over the standard car's 135kW/270Nm front-mounted motor is likely, though without a suitable electric powertrain option currently on offer within the BMW and Mini ranges, how much of a performance boost the zero-emissions John Cooper Works model would receive is unknown.

For reference, the current, petrol-powered Mini John Cooper Works GP features a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine shared with other BMW and Mini products, sending 225kW and 450Nm to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The test vehicle was seen just days after UK publication Auto Express revealed John Cooper Works will be transformed into an electric-only performance sub-brand.

Rather than tasked with offering sportier variants within the Mini range, JCW will become a dedicated, stand-alone sub-brand, in much the same way Mercedes-Benz has split its AMG performance and Maybach ultra-luxe divisions into brands within a brand.

Mini's boss Bernd Körber believes JCW can be more than it is currently: "There will still be a market and customer demand for [internal combustion engined] John Cooper Works, but ultimately the performance [brand] will be electrified – and for MINI it fits".

"What we would like to do is make John Cooper Works a real electric performance brand," Mr Körber said.

While the first electric JCW wasn't expected until 2024, the appearance of a prototype undergoing on-road testing suggests the first model may appear as soon as 2022.


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Ben Zachariah

Ben Zachariah is an experienced writer and motoring journalist from Melbourne, having worked in the automotive industry for more than two decades. Ben began writing professionally more than 15 years ago and was previously an interstate truck driver. He completed his MBA in Finance in early 2021 and is considered an expert on classic car investment.

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