MINI has teased the rear end of its forthcoming John Cooper Works Electric variant in a tweet, which comes after an earlier showing of a development car in December. Given the caption that the brand “feels like it’s time for a boost,” this most likely means there will be gains of power and torque over the Cooper SE that produces 184 hp and 280 Nm of torque from a single electric motor.
The carmaker has not revealed output figures for the more potent electric hatchback, though if the Cooper SE’s stats are close to the 192 hp and 280 Nm produced by the internal combustion Cooper S, the forthcoming JCW Electric could output numbers comparable to those of petrol-powered JCW which makes 306 PS and 450 Nm of torque.
The example teased here appears to wear on its roof a light bar akin to the kind used by safety cars at race events, which indicates that the British brand could take over from parent company BMW in supplying safety cars to the Formula E all-electric racing series, suggests BMW Blog, as the latter has confirmed its exit from the series at the end of the 2021 season.
Feels like it’s time for a boost. Watch this space…#ElectricThrillMaximised pic.twitter.com/SuDrJGyzeJ
— MINI (@MINI) March 24, 2021
Certain details differ from the development unit shown at the end of last year, namely with a low-mount rear light at the centre of the diffuser. There are also high-mount lights, likely on the trailing edge of the JCW wing, and this appears to be mounted slightly lower on the rear screen compared to the unit on the earlier development car.
A development unit for the next generation of electric MINIs has been sighted on test, albeit with bodywork that could merely be a disguise for what’s really to come. The example sighted was also seen to feature an arrangement of large digital displays, seemingly doing away with the circular instrument housings that have been a part of the MINI interior design.
MINI announced last week that it will be phasing out internal combustion models from its line-up, with the last ICE model to be launched in 2025 and the brand will go fully electric by 2030. By contrast, the BMW brand is sticking with its commitment to developing internal combustion engines “because demand will remain robust for many years to come,”said BMW CEO Oliver Zipse.
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