bon voyage, gearshift! MINI cooper gets resurrected as electric car with toggle bar for driving

Purely electric MINI cooper at IAA 2023

Electric car fans may jump on the wagon of MINI Cooper’s purely electric automobile that reinvents its iconic model. Its days of manual transmission are gone as the new generation of MINI Cooper ushered in a toggle bar underneath the dashboard of its car design. Here, driving functions such as parking brake, gear selector, start/stop key, experience mode toggle, and volume control are activated by touching them, eliminating the need for a gearshift.

Everything seems new and advanced in MINI Cooper, unveiled at IAA Mobility 2023. A central OLED display flashes driving information including the voice and touch-operated functionalities. When the speed indicator is pressed, a large, striking display with a full-screen speedometer appears that puts a clear focus on driving. MINI Cooper’s intelligent personal assistant learns the routines of the driver so it can automatically carry out actions such as opening the windows as soon as they enter the car.

images by MINI

Manual transmission no more

The all-new MINI Cooper leaves extensive manual driving behind. Even its driver assistance system lets the electric car identify possible parking spaces more clearly and can even independently initiate space-restricted parking maneuvers, thanks to 12 ultrasonic sensors and four surround-view cameras. The driver’s personal smartphone is also the key, and quite literally. First, their smartphone can enable the new MINI Cooper to be parked if the space at the side is too limited for entry. Then, the smartphone doubles as the car key which opens the vehicle.

The entrance of the purely electric MINI Cooper signals the electrification of the car brand moving forward. It imagines becoming an all-electric brand by 2030. On the other hand, MINI wants to remain faithful to the design DNA that has permeated its previous models. In the 2023 version, notes of the past mesh with the present iterations including short overhangs, a short bonnet, and the contrasting long wheelbase with large wheels.

The typical MINI design features such as the visual three-part division of the vehicle body, the all-around window area, and the contrasting roof are kept, all the while introducing new design elements. The front headlights are not framed with chrome elements anymore, and the rear section now features clear surfaces and flush rear lights. A defined shoulder section gives the MINI Cooper a particularly powerful look.

rear view of electric MINI Cooper

Electric car with bigger track width, tires, and wheelbase

MINI Cooper has bulked up compared to its predecessors. Its track width, tire diameter, and wheelbase have increased to provide better driving dynamics. These help enable a precise set-up of steering and all driving stability control systems that can guarantee sporty driving. The electric car also comes with a fast-charging feature that can achieve 80 percent of charge in under 30 minutes. MINI Cooper also features four driving modes, tailored to the present driving situation of the user.

Oliver Heilmer, Head of MINI Design, says that the new MINI Cooper is inspired by the car brand’s history. ‘The idea behind it is a design that gives each new MINI model a strong, individual character and is characterized by a clear, reduced design language intuitively focused on the essentials of the brand,’ he says. Stefanie Wurst, Head of MINI adds that ‘in the fifth generation of the MINI Cooper, we combine the traditional MINI DNA with innovative, future-oriented technology while enabling locally emission-free driving fun that is typical of MINI.’

its driver assistance system lets the electric car identify possible parking spaces more clearly