Retro models, sustainable style. Fans of this trend will be able to indulge themselves – as of next year, an electric version of the much-loved Mini will also become available. The Mini Electric has recently been launched, and happily, looks just about the same as it always has.
The first Mini came off the production line in 1959. Since then, the car’s appearance has been slightly modernised to move with the times, but the first model to drive out of the factory is still clearly recognisable in today’s Mini. The Mini is a car that sets many hearts a-flutter. How has that come about? Let’s take a little trip back in time.
The car has always been enormously attractive to the public. If you drove a Mini, you were cool and trendy, and that’s certainly still the case today. Experts say that this is mainly due to the power of the Mini marketing machine; after all, the car has never been terribly practical, certainly in its early years. For example, it wasn’t particularly suitable for taller people, and it had next to no luggage capacity. However, The Beatles, Formula 1 drivers Graham Hill and Enzo Ferrari, actor Steve McQueen, everyone in the fashionable London scene, and Brigitte Bardot all liked to be seen driving a Mini. In 1969 the car played a starring role in ‘The Italian Job’ alongside Michael Caine, and the 2003 remake of the film was just as successful as the original. All of this worked out well for Mini’s image!
The Mini Electric as a city car
Back to 2019, and the Mini Electric. What does this car have to offer? On the outside, it’s the good old familiar Mini we all know and love. It’s pretty nippy, reaching 100km/h in just 7.3 seconds, and has a maximum speed of 150km/h. That’s a little slower than drivers will expect, and with a range of just 235km, this may raise a few eyebrows. However, the manufacturer has deliberately chosen to go this route. The Mini is generally used as a city car, so there’s less need for a large operating range or greater speed. By restricting these two factors, Mini has kept the car lighter and less expensive. And there’s definitely a lot to be said for that! The Mini Electric will go into production from November 2019.