Photo: Giorgi Tedoradze via Instagram
The new cool thing for big carmakers these days is to have one brand, usually on the smaller side, that has already announced it would go all-electric in just a few years.
Mercedes-Benz – well, Daimler – has smart, the Volkswagen Group has Cupra, and BMW has MINI. The difference between the three we just listed is that the first has already made the conversion, while the other two have it planned for 2030. Somebody should tell BMW and Volkswagen that, ten years later, it's very likely that all brands will have made the switch as well since most markets plan to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles altogether.
Anyway, setting a deadline for one of the lesser brands is actually a clever tactic: it shows everyone you mean business while not really having that much immediate impact on your current business. If somebody asks BMW, "why aren't you doing something to push EV technology quicker?", it can respond "what do you mean, look at what we're doing with MINI." And if somebody says "what are you doing going electric, it's killing the brand," the Bavarians can go "meh, relax, it's only MINI." They just can't lose.
They can't go back either. Nine years from now, at the most, all MINI models are going to feature electric powertrains exclusively. The British brand only has one currently, and that's a quick make-shift solution meant to help it fall in line with the trend. If MINI plans to go all-in on the EV front, it's going to have to cough up something a little more convincing than that.
You may think that range is very important in an EV, and you'd be right. Sure, performance may also play a role, though making an electric car reasonably quick seems to be the easiest job in the world. However, one of these cars' key features has got to be their appearance. Mess up an EV's appearance, and you will instantly halve your sales. Strike gold in the design department, and any technical shortcomings might be partially overlooked.
Since it's MINI we're talking about, the design dimension becomes even more crucial. On the other hand, though, making the conversion to "EV-looks" might also be a bit simpler since there are a few brand-related details you can't mess about with. Whatever happens, the car has to be instantly recognizable as a MINI, which leaves relatively little room to maneuver.
All things considered, Giorgi Tedoradze's take doesn't seem too far off. You don't need to look at the badge on the hood to know this is a MINI, but at the same time, it is different enough to set it apart from the rest of the brand's previous models.
The most important thing, though, is that it doesn't look "EV-weird". There is no silly attempt to make the nature of its powertrain more obvious than it has to be. The solid grille is enough of a clue, thank you very much, we don't need any pseudo-futuristic styling cues – just a beautiful car will do.
Anyway, setting a deadline for one of the lesser brands is actually a clever tactic: it shows everyone you mean business while not really having that much immediate impact on your current business. If somebody asks BMW, "why aren't you doing something to push EV technology quicker?", it can respond "what do you mean, look at what we're doing with MINI." And if somebody says "what are you doing going electric, it's killing the brand," the Bavarians can go "meh, relax, it's only MINI." They just can't lose.
They can't go back either. Nine years from now, at the most, all MINI models are going to feature electric powertrains exclusively. The British brand only has one currently, and that's a quick make-shift solution meant to help it fall in line with the trend. If MINI plans to go all-in on the EV front, it's going to have to cough up something a little more convincing than that.
You may think that range is very important in an EV, and you'd be right. Sure, performance may also play a role, though making an electric car reasonably quick seems to be the easiest job in the world. However, one of these cars' key features has got to be their appearance. Mess up an EV's appearance, and you will instantly halve your sales. Strike gold in the design department, and any technical shortcomings might be partially overlooked.
Since it's MINI we're talking about, the design dimension becomes even more crucial. On the other hand, though, making the conversion to "EV-looks" might also be a bit simpler since there are a few brand-related details you can't mess about with. Whatever happens, the car has to be instantly recognizable as a MINI, which leaves relatively little room to maneuver.
All things considered, Giorgi Tedoradze's take doesn't seem too far off. You don't need to look at the badge on the hood to know this is a MINI, but at the same time, it is different enough to set it apart from the rest of the brand's previous models.
The most important thing, though, is that it doesn't look "EV-weird". There is no silly attempt to make the nature of its powertrain more obvious than it has to be. The solid grille is enough of a clue, thank you very much, we don't need any pseudo-futuristic styling cues – just a beautiful car will do.
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