Photo: MINI/Volkswagen
Mini is slated to become an electric-only brand. When it first presented the Urbanaut in November 2020, nobody thought it could make it into production. In September, Oliver Heilmer told Autocar that this was possible. Now, the company officially confirmed it is working on selling it. What it didn’t say was not missed, being so obvious: its goal will be to beat the VW ID.BUZZ.
It was a coincidence that Volkswagen presented the first prototype of its electric MPV on the same day that Mini disclosed its plans. The British brand said it would have new products in order to get to 2030 as a fully-electric company.
The electric shift will begin in 2023. That’s when the company will reveal “the first model of a new generation of purely electrically powered vehicles.” The new Mini will be underpinned by an all-electric platform that BMW is developing with Great Wall, possibly the one used by the ORA Good Cat. BMW’s NK (Neue Klasse) platform will be exclusive and set to make its premiere in 2025.
Among its electric vehicles, Mini will have the 3-door hatchback, a small and a compact crossover, and “a new vehicle concept for the premium compact segment.” Mini didn’t leave much room for speculation and already confirmed it will be based on the Urbanaut concept, created to “meet the wishes of many customers for space and comfort, and increased variability.”
Being only 4.46 meters (175.6 inches) long, the Urbanault is much shorter than the VW ID.BUZZ, which is expected to have a length of 4.94 m (194.5 in). In that sense, the Urbanaut will be much closer to the original VW Bus (4.28 m or 168.5 in long), although the T2 was 4.51 m (177.6 in) long.
Pricing strategies tend to compensate for the size difference. With Mini’s current premium market profile, the production version of the Urbanaut will probably cost as much as the ID.BUZZ. People will decide between them based on convenience, but Volkswagen’s electric van will arrive earlier, which should give it a good advantage. To be more specific, Ralf Brandstätter said it will be officially presented in March 2022 in a LinkedIn post. Geneva Motor Show, anyone?
The electric shift will begin in 2023. That’s when the company will reveal “the first model of a new generation of purely electrically powered vehicles.” The new Mini will be underpinned by an all-electric platform that BMW is developing with Great Wall, possibly the one used by the ORA Good Cat. BMW’s NK (Neue Klasse) platform will be exclusive and set to make its premiere in 2025.
Among its electric vehicles, Mini will have the 3-door hatchback, a small and a compact crossover, and “a new vehicle concept for the premium compact segment.” Mini didn’t leave much room for speculation and already confirmed it will be based on the Urbanaut concept, created to “meet the wishes of many customers for space and comfort, and increased variability.”
Being only 4.46 meters (175.6 inches) long, the Urbanault is much shorter than the VW ID.BUZZ, which is expected to have a length of 4.94 m (194.5 in). In that sense, the Urbanaut will be much closer to the original VW Bus (4.28 m or 168.5 in long), although the T2 was 4.51 m (177.6 in) long.
Pricing strategies tend to compensate for the size difference. With Mini’s current premium market profile, the production version of the Urbanaut will probably cost as much as the ID.BUZZ. People will decide between them based on convenience, but Volkswagen’s electric van will arrive earlier, which should give it a good advantage. To be more specific, Ralf Brandstätter said it will be officially presented in March 2022 in a LinkedIn post. Geneva Motor Show, anyone?
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