Mini tries out a Cooper EV convertible during Mini takes the States

This one's just for fun. Mini is doing a product roadshow called "Mini takes the States," and the automaker created a one-off Mini Cooper SE Convertible for the event. Is Mini asking the questions, "Should we offer this?, and will folks buy them"" If you enjoy convertibles the answer would be a resounding, "Yes!" The question is can Mini produce the open-air runabout for a reasonable price. In the coming years, all new cars will be electric, so somebody needs to make an open-top convertible and it might as well be Mini. Since the next-gen Mini Cooper is due for a complete redesign very soon, this on-off fun machine was created using bits and piece from the current Mini Cooper SE EV and the current convertible. It uses the SE model's EV drivetrain that creates about 187 hp and hits 60 from a standstill in around 7.7 seconds. Not fast, but quick. Current range is under 200 miles, but if Mini decides to go forward with this model on the new EV platform, numbers and efficiency should go up. Lets hope this one gets the greenlight. For  more info, click on "read more" below to view a Mini video downloaded by another site, an additional pic and the media release. Enjoy. BTW: if this looks like something you might purchase, let Mini know.

Source: Mini - Media release, pics, video, previous Cooper SE post.

Media Release:

This Toy is Electric. Electrified open-air fun of the future.

MINI is combining maximum open-air driving fun with locally emission-free electric mobility for the first time with a one-off not for sale MINI Cooper SE Convertible. World premiere at "MINI takes the States" in the USA.

Sunshine, rising temperatures, fresh green scenery: Right on time for summer, MINI is presenting the all-electric MINI Cooper SE as a convertible for the first time. Not as a series production version, but as a unique specimen that shows how the path to an all-electric premium brand could continue and also electrify classic sporty open-air driving in the future. As an open four-seater, the MINI Cooper SE Convertible is the world's only premium convertible with a fully electric drivetrain in the small car segment. With this frontrunner, the British premium brand combines classic sportiness, maximum open-top driving fun and locally emission-free electric mobility for the first time.

The one-off model will be shown to the public for the first time at the traditional community event "MINI Takes the States" in the USA. The winding roads between Burlington in Vermont and Greenville-Spartanburg in South Carolina are perfect for giving the assembled MINI community a first impression of the typical MINI go-kart feeling in the outfit of a MINI Cooper SE Convertible.

The unique specimen is based on the body of the MINI Cooper S Convertible. The electrified MINI Convertible also shares the dimensions of 3,863 mm in length with a wheelbase of 2,495 mm, a width of 1,727 mm and a height of 2,495 mm. The load volume in the luggage compartment also remains unchanged at 160 l.

The drive technology comes from the BMW Group's electric mobility competence centres in Dingolfing and Landshut. The MINI Cooper SE Convertible uses the same drive components as the three-door MINI Cooper SE. The exceptionally harmonious axle load distribution due to the small electric motor favours agile and easily controllable handling. With the top down now in the future, too.

The 135 kW/184 hp electric motor, like in the MINI Cooper SE, transfers the agile handling with the hallmark go-kart feeling to the world of electric mobility and enables acceleration from a standstill to 100 km/h in 7.7 seconds. With a range of 230 kilometres determined in the WLTP test cycle, open-air excursions in urban environments as well as well beyond the city limits are possible. The MINI Cooper SE Convertible combines open-top driving fun with clever functionality. The fully electric and thus particularly quiet textile soft top can be opened and closed within 18 seconds. At the touch of a button, the soft top can be activated when driving up to 30 km/h and allows three settings: open, closed or as a sunroof.

With this one-off, MINI is appealing to the ever-growing fan community of the brand's hallmark open-air driving fun and, at the same time, electrifying the global vehicle market with another segment - sustainably, transparently and comprehensibly.  The successful transformation of the MINI brand to electric mobility is demonstrated particularly impressively by the example of the MINI Cooper SE model. With growth of plus 132%, the model was the pulse generator for the MINI brand in 2021. In Germany, the largest market for the MINI Cooper SE, almost every third MINI is already electrified. To make this enthusiasm for electrified driving sustainable, MINI makes every day charging easy and convenient. MINI Charging provides MINI drivers in Germany with flexible solutions for charging at home and at work, as well as access to one of the largest public charging networks in Europe, comprising more than 250,000 charging points.

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises over 30 production sites worldwide; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2021, the BMW Group sold over 2.5 million passenger vehicles and more than 194,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2021 was € 16.1 billion on revenues amounting to € 111.2 billion. As of 31 December 2021, the BMW Group had a workforce of 118,909 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products.