The Electric MINI Love...

The electric version of the MINI is proving to be quite a hit in the countries in which the car is currently undergoing customer testing, with some of those leasing the cars telling BMW they would rather keep the car then turn them back in when the leasing program is over.

"Some drivers have told me they would love to keep their Mini E. We will follow this trial next year with a customer test fleet based on the current study with the BMW Concept ActiveE which will be built at our Leipzig plant," Norbert Reithofer, BMW chairman said according to just-auto.com

In the beginning of the year, BMW released the first set of results showing the performances of the MINI E in the US. According to the findings, the car has a range of about 100 miles, enough for most daily needs. The range can be achieved by recharging the car at home, without complications. And, in addition...

"MINI is not a miniature version of another model series. MINI is, and will remain, the original - with a signature face, a unique tradition and over 1.5 million fans around the world."

At the Geneva Auto Show last month, BMW announced the release onto the market of a fleet of 700 electric vehicles based on the ActivE, to be leased to customers in major global cities.

So far dubbed ActivE, the 1 Series electric which will form the backbone of the future electric vehicle will be assembled in BMW's facility in Leipzig. It will be part of a new, third sub-brand owned by BMW (probably named i-Setta).