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MINI E to Get the Axe, Coupe to Arrive This Fall

Coupe conceptRoadster conceptMINI E
There’s some thing we like to see MINI build, and some thing we really don’t. One is the production version of the Coupe/Roadster concept and the other is the electric car called MINI E. We will let you guys guess which is which. It seems that the carmaker is no longer interested in developing an electric platform but should have the two aforementioned models ready for us sooner than expected.

When questioned about the arrival of the production Coupe and Roadster, Mini Communication Manager Nathalie Bauters told autoblog that the Coupe "will go on sale in the fall, probably as a 2012 model year. The Roadster will come six months later as a 2012 or 2013 model."

This is a very smart (no pun intended) move they are making in our opinion, as the models could easily become popular. The MINI Cooper is a car usually bought for its style and luxury feel above all else. So what would you rather be seen in, a high-end hatchback or the Coupe/Roadster?

The other important piece of news is that the MINI E will get the axe. "It will not go on sale, it was for research," also Nathalie Bauters stated. The car was leased to customers and some of the loans on the first year trial models have been extended to a second year, but at the end of the second year the program will be phased out. A similar program will follow with BMW’s 1 Series-based Active E, meant to gather information on electric cars for the arrival of the BMW Megacity. As is the case with most electric programs undertaken by large automakers, the lesson seems to be that only long term investment will prove fruitful in the end.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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