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Electric Concept To Preview 2019 MINI EV At 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show

By the time the electric MINI arrives in showrooms in 2019, the automaker will have spent something like 11 years perfecting its electric vehicle know-how. ‘Till then, however, MINI is expected to reveal an electric concept later this month.
MINI E field trial EV 11 photos
Photo: MINI
MINI E field trial EV (R56)MINI E field trial EV (R56)MINI E field trial EV (R56)MINI E field trial EV (R56)MINI E field trial EV (R56)MINI E field trial EV (R56)MINI E field trial EV (R56)MINI E field trial EV (R56)MINI E field trial EV (R56)MINI E field trial EV (R56)
The information comes from BMW Blog, with the publication not giving any relevant information at all on the bragging rights of the concept. The timing also means the one-off should join its MINI-branded buddies on the stage at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, which is scheduled to kick off in September.

As with the R56-based MINI E trial car featured in the photo gallery, the 2019 MINI EV will be nothing more than a derivative of the 3-Door Hatch available today with both gasoline and diesel power. The British automaker hasn’t mentioned anything about JCW-rivaling performance, but we wouldn’t be too surprised if the engineers imbue the interloper with a bit of driving fun.

The BMW Group confirmed last month that the electric drivetrain will be built at the Bavarian automaker’s e-mobility centers in Dingolfing and Landshut. The next step is to marry the drivetrain with the rest of the vehicle in Oxford, the stomping ground of almost all MINIs. The second generation of the Countryman and some variants of the Hatch are the exception to the rule, being manufactured in the Netherlands by a company called VDL Nedcar.

Not much is known about the finer aspects of the electric e-MINI bound for 2019, but word has a handful of bits and bobs will be borrowed from the BMW i3. At the other end of the spectrum, the most ludicrous rumor suggests the MINI EV will be a dual-motor job with serious go-faster attributes. Whatever the outcome, it appears the EV will be made at least until 2023.

In related news, BMW will electrify the X3 compact utility vehicle in 2020, and the iNEXT will become a reality no later than 2021.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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