BMW has officially stated that its subordinate brand, MINI, will abandon internal combustion engines by early 2030s. One may think this is dictated by Britain’s intention to ban ICE cars by that year, but the real reasons look different.
For one, MINI plans to go all-electric in all countries where it has market presence, including those where IC engines are still allowed. Furthermore, it hopes to launch a next-gen Countryman SUV in two years’ time, landing it with a few IC powertrains and a purely electric one as well. The production will take place in Leipzig. At the same time, the MINI-Great Wall joint enterprise in China will proceed to assemble the compact crossover SUV for the local market.
New hatchbacks powered by fuel and electric power will emerge in 2025, marking the company’s last year producing ICE cars. Two years later, MINI expects to be selling more battery EVs than gasoline and diesel cars combined. By early 2030s, battery vehicles will be the only ones remaining in the range.
While not official yet, it looks like another BMW-owned brand, Rolls-Royce, is facing the same destiny. With new ICE cars going outlawed in Great Britain in the year 2030, and part-electric hybrids set to follow them a few years later, full electrification seems the only way to go.