The next-generation Mini Countryman will be produced at the Leipzig plant in Germany and it will be offered in petrol, diesel, and electric powertrains
Last month, BMW Group officially confirmed that the next-generation Mini Countryman will be manufactured at the Leipzig plant in Germany. Scheduled to kick off in 2023, it will become the first facility to produce both BMW and Mini vehicles at the same time. The speculations surrounding the zero-emission version of the Country have been there for years and it is also confirmed to be in development.
Depending on the market situations and customer requirements, Mini will offer the Countryman with a range of petrol and diesel engines, as the decision to switch to all-electric drivetrain depends on how things evolve in the future. As the Leipzig factory has received the contract for the next-gen Countryman, the VDL Nedcar plant in the Netherlands won’t produce the upcoming model.
The company has explained that the decision to choose Germany for producing the next Countryman has to do with the global health crisis. Currently, the Leipzig facility assembles 2 Series Active Tourer, new-gen 1-Series, and other models based on the front-wheel-drive platform, and it has been responsible for rolling out more than two lakh units of the i3 electric car since 2013.
The British luxury carmaker could develop a bigger electric crossover based on the same platform as the electric Countryman but no more information is available on it yet. It must be noted that the introduction of the electric Mini Cooper SE helped in doubling sales of Mini’s electrified vehicles from five percent to ten percent last year in Australia.
With the brand increasing its focus on China, it moves ahead to manufacture vehicles there in collaboration with Great Wall Motors. The timeline of the rumored two new electric models from Mini is yet unknown. BMW Group’s sales of electric vehicles have increased to 8.6 percent recently and Mini will play a key role in driving EV volumes in the coming years.
Just a few weeks ago, Mini unveiled the JCW Nightfall Edition in Australia with a host of exterior and interior upgrades. Its production is limited to 50 units and is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine producing a maximum power output of 228 horsepower and 320 Nm of peak torque. It is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.