Mini has confirmed that there will be an all-electric Mini John Cooper Works GP concept. Mini, with the Cooper SE, proved that electric powertrains in its small, nippy hatchback doesn’t stray far from what a Mini should be. The EV was still a proper Mini. Riding on that success, Mini Electric JCW GP will now act as a gateway to add many sporty EVs to the performance focused JCW stable.
Although the specs are still not out, it appears that visually, the Mini Electric GP borrows a lot of components like the flared wheel arches, front bumper and large rear wing from the current JCW GP. Covered in red and black camouflage, the photos show the car being driven around the Nurburgring. In fact, there were spy shots of the car on the same track from about a month ago. All that time spent setting the car up for the track would likely mean the Electric JCW GP will be quite a track weapon. It is still referred to as a Concept and there is no official word yet about when we can see one on the road but the pictures look promising!
Head of the Mini brand, Bernd Körber said, “John Cooper Works models with conventional combustion engines will still continue to have an important role to play, to make sure we’re addressing the wishes and needs of performance enthusiasts all around the world. With this new focus on electric performance, we’re also creating the opportunity to sharpen the distinctive profile of the John Cooper Works brand more than ever before.”
The Mini Electric JCW GP is an encouragement and a sort of reassurance to the enthusiasts that electric cars can be fun and performance focused. The car might also kick start a whole new exciting market for the electric hot-hatch as well!