Mini Cooper took its Twitter handle to tease the upcoming SE electric vehicle. The BMW Group-owned Mini Cooper has also listed the SE EV on their official website. With the ‘Coming Soon’ tag on the website, the carmaker hints at the imminent launch of the EV. The Mini SE will be the first fully electric car from the BMW Group in India. 

Globally unveiled back in 2019, the SE is based on the MINI-300 with some significant changes. The pre-bookings for the SE is likely to start from the 29th of this month and delivery to begin from April 2022. Mini plans on bringing the EV as a fully loaded single variant CBU unit. 

Mini Cooper SE: Design and features 

As far as the design is concerned, the SE incorporates a similar exterior to its ICE counterparts. Along with the retained silhouette of the hatchback, SE also gets Mini Cooper’s traditional rounded LED headlamps with the Union Jack-themed LED taillamps.  

The most significant difference is the new front grille. The SE gets the blanked out front grille with a small opening along with a new ‘E’ badge. Mini has used yellow accents all over the car to distinguish it. The newly designed alloy wheels, mirror caps, and the front grille get the yellow accents. 

It does not stop there, Mini has carried over the yellow accents to the interior as well. However, the SE gets the same interior as the other hatchbacks. You can instantly spot a similar dashboard design. But the SE is the first Mini to be equipped with a newly developed digital instrument cluster. 

Features include an 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system supporting Apple CarPlay and a digital driver instrument cluster. A Panoramic glass sunroof, Harman Kardon sound system, Tyre pressure monitor and more. 

What powers the Mini Cooper SE? 

Powering the hatchback will be a 32.6 kWh battery positioned under the passenger seat. It is coupled to a single electric motor capable of making 184bhp and 270Nm of torque. The WLTP certified range for the SE is 235-270 km depending on the driving. Sharing the powertrain with the BMW i3 EV, the SE gets Mid, Sport, Green and Green+ driving modes. 

Mini claims that the SE is capable of charging from 0-80% in just 35 mins with a 50kW charge point. With an 11kW wall box charge point, it takes up to 150 minutes for a 0-80 per cent charge. The SE will also be equipped with a multi-level brake regeneration system for improved efficiency. 

Pricing and competition 

The pricing for the hatchback is not yet confirmed. With no direct competition for the SE, it will be the most affordable luxury EV hatch when launched. Being the newest entry for the luxury EV segment, the SE goes against the Mercedes Benz EQC, Audi e-Tron, Jaguar I-Pace.  

Also, read: 

Expansion of BMW on their EV range 

BMW’s Nomenclature: How does it work?