MINI Korea Officially Launches Brand's First Pure Electric Model 'MINI Electric' in Korea

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] MINI Korea announced on the 28th that it will officially launch the brand’s first pure electric model, the ‘MINI Electric,’ in the domestic market.

The MINI Electric is the only pure electric vehicle in the premium compact segment and the first model to usher in the fully electric era of the MINI brand. Based on the MINI Cooper S, the MINI Electric retains the distinct identity of a 3-door hatchback design and its stylish personality, while delivering a higher level of emotional driving performance that only a compact pure electric vehicle can offer.

The MINI Electric maintains MINI’s unique design both inside and out, while incorporating design elements exclusive to pure electric models. The front radiator grille frame features MINI’s signature hexagonal line, emphasizing a clean charm, and the round LED headlights with black high-gloss housing inside project a powerful presence.

The front and rear emblems and side mirror caps are accented with yellow color symbolizing MINI’s pure electric models, and the side scuttles and rear lights with Union Jack design further highlight MINI’s unique character. The body color options include Moonwalk Grey, White Silver, and Midnight Black.

The interior emphasizes simplicity and convenience. The standard 8.8-inch center display on all models includes touchscreen functionality, and the 5-inch digital cluster features a new UI composed of battery level and regenerative braking indicators, enhancing visibility and user convenience.

The MINI Electric offers an emotional driving experience unique to pure electric vehicles while maintaining the brand’s characteristic go-kart feeling. Compared to the internal combustion MINI 3-door model, the center of gravity is 30mm lower, and the vehicle weight distribution is optimized, resulting in excellent cornering performance.

Additionally, the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system optimized for the characteristics of pure electric vehicles delivers the high torque unique to electric motors instantly and stably to the road without loss. For the first time in MINI, the regenerative braking intensity can be directly selected according to the driver’s preference, enhancing driving enjoyment.

Under the bonnet is the latest synchronous electric motor producing a maximum output of 184 horsepower and a maximum torque of 27.5 kg·m, accelerating from 0 to 60 km/h in 3.9 seconds and to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds, delivering performance comparable to the gasoline MINI Cooper S. The driving range per charge is 159 km combined, and fast charging to 80% takes about 35 minutes.

The MINI Electric offers the same cargo space as the internal combustion MINI 3-door, providing the practicality unique to compact hatchbacks. The trunk capacity expands from a basic 211 liters to a maximum of 731 liters when the rear seatbacks are folded down.

The MINI Electric is available in two trims: ‘Classic’ and ‘Electric.’ The Classic trim comes standard with safety and convenience features such as rear collision warning, front heated seats, rear camera, and wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity.

The higher Electric trim adds advanced convenience features including driving assist systems such as frontal collision warning, pedestrian approach and lane departure warnings, active cruise control, head-up display, and parking assist.

The price of the MINI Electric is 45.6 million KRW for the Classic trim and 49.9 million KRW for the Electric trim. With national and local government subsidies, the purchase price ranges from the mid-30 million KRW to the low 40 million KRW range depending on the region.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.