Mini to launch electric convertible as part of EV shift

MUNICH -- BMW's Mini brand is heralding its shift to battery electric cars by launching a convertible version of its full-electric hatchback.

The car's production run will be limited to 999 units for Europe only, with 150 units destined for the UK market, Mini said in a statement.

It will be called the Electric Convertible in the UK and Cooper SE Cabrio in Europe. North American sales are not planned.

The convertible will use the Mini Electric/Cooper SE electric drivetrain, with a 135-kilowatt/184-hp electric motor. It will have a range of 124 miles (200 km) under the WLTP test cycle.

Mini brand boss Stefanie Wurst said the model represents a step in the brand's shift to electric mobility. Full-electric models account for one in five of Mini's sales in Europe, Wurst said in the statement.

"This success has spurred us to implement the small series of the Mini Electric Convertible," Wurst said.

The electric convertible will be produced alongside the conventional Mini Convertible at VDL Nedcar in the Netherlands. It will be available from April, priced at 52,500 pounds ($63,800) in the UK.

BMW plans to start producing electric Minis at a new joint plant with Great Wall in China this year.

The automaker is in talks with the British government over state help to build future electric Minis at the brand's factory in Oxford England, Sky News reported on Feb. 4.