Photo: CarPix
After being facelifted twice since its market introduction in 2014, the third-generation MINI to be developed by BMW is not exactly getting long in the tooth, especially since the second refresh was only recently unveiled.
That said, the company has also recently announced that it is heading toward an all-electric future for its models, with the entire MINI lineup to be powered exclusively by electrons by the year of 2030.
Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that the carmaker has started testing the fourth generation of the Cooper SE before the internal combustion engine (ICE) versions, which will be the last ones of their kind anyway.
Spotted in a BMW testing facility in Sweden, this pre-production prototype of the 2023 MINI Cooper SE is a lot weirder than it looks at first glance, with many details featured on it not making a lot of sense.
Starting with the front end, the tacked-on headlights and the useless hood scoop are only there to create confusion, but then again, the hood scoop in the ICE-powered Cooper S and JCW are only for show as well.
The BMW side mirrors don’t do much to reveal some of the mystery surrounding the prototype, but it’s the rear is where things get interesting, with the rear hatch having a rather unusual cutout, rounded off at the bottom and zigzagging across the fake taillights.
Even more peculiar is the shot of the interior, which seems to show a giant double-screen dashboard that has more of a design relation with BMW than with MINI. Again, this could be more of a mule than a pre-production prototype, so many things might change until it arrives on the market.
The biggest change compared to the current generation of MINI hatches is the overall size, which seems to be a tad smaller than its predecessor and thus a return to the carmaker’s roots in a market of ever-expanding models. Underneath we should be met with a alrger battery and a slightly more powerful electric motor, but we will probably know more about those details sometime next year, when the car gets closer to its official reveal.
Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that the carmaker has started testing the fourth generation of the Cooper SE before the internal combustion engine (ICE) versions, which will be the last ones of their kind anyway.
Spotted in a BMW testing facility in Sweden, this pre-production prototype of the 2023 MINI Cooper SE is a lot weirder than it looks at first glance, with many details featured on it not making a lot of sense.
Starting with the front end, the tacked-on headlights and the useless hood scoop are only there to create confusion, but then again, the hood scoop in the ICE-powered Cooper S and JCW are only for show as well.
The BMW side mirrors don’t do much to reveal some of the mystery surrounding the prototype, but it’s the rear is where things get interesting, with the rear hatch having a rather unusual cutout, rounded off at the bottom and zigzagging across the fake taillights.
Even more peculiar is the shot of the interior, which seems to show a giant double-screen dashboard that has more of a design relation with BMW than with MINI. Again, this could be more of a mule than a pre-production prototype, so many things might change until it arrives on the market.
The biggest change compared to the current generation of MINI hatches is the overall size, which seems to be a tad smaller than its predecessor and thus a return to the carmaker’s roots in a market of ever-expanding models. Underneath we should be met with a alrger battery and a slightly more powerful electric motor, but we will probably know more about those details sometime next year, when the car gets closer to its official reveal.
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