Mini is hard at work developing the next generation of its Countryman crossover, which will be bigger than before, with sources suggesting that it will be offered in electric, plug-in hybrid, and gasoline flavors.
And while we’ve already seen the internal combustion engine version out and about testing, this is the first time our spy photographers caught the all-electric version doing the rounds on snow-covered roads during its winter testing phase.
As previously reported, the all-new Mini Countryman EV will likely be based on the same platform as the BMW iX1, with a smaller EV named Aceman scheduled for its unveiling sometime this year.
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Getting back to the 2024 Countryman EV, which is expected to go into production towards the end of 2023, Mini hasn’t released any official information about it, but we can make some educated guesses regarding its specs, considering we already know what the BMW iX1 has to offer. So expect around 300 horsepower and 350 pounds-feet of torque from two electric motors, as well as a range of roughly 260 miles on a single charge.
In the BMW, the battery has a gross capacity of 66.5 kilowatt-hours and can be recharged via an AC adapter at up to 22 kW, while DC fast charging will provide up to 127 kW of power.
It’s unclear at the moment if the next generation Mini Countryman will reach the United States, with BMW (which owns Mini) stating in the past that the X1 will be sold in the States in its gas-burning xDrive28i variant only, with the electric variant reserved for Europe and China.
However, seeing how Mini is on a path of complete electrification by the early 2030s, it would make sense for the British brand to offer an electric crossover on the American market. But I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what the big bosses at the BMW Group will decide for the iconic English brand.
In the meantime, you can check out the gallery above to see what the camouflaged prototype Countryman EV looks like. We also have a rendering that shows what the upcoming EV crossover might end up like when revealed.