Mini has released a first pair of teaser images of its new and all-electric model before it hits the road in 2019.
But before you get too excited, the teaser images are actually design sketches focusing on two elements of the vehicle - the grille and a wheel - so they’re not overflowing with new detail.
Even more frustrating, they are - to our eyes at least - exactly the same as the grille and wheels on the Mini Electric Concept, shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2017, and pictured again here.
But they do at least reveal that the finished product won’t be straying far from that 2017 concept, with the same closed-off grille streaked in yellow and futuristic alloys on offer.
“Mini is an urban brand and the fully electric Mini is the logical next step into the future,” says the brand's design chief, Oliver Heilmer. “These initial sketches for the fully electrified Mini outline our vision of authentic design creating a bridge between the history of the brand and its electric future.”
So, that grille. According to Mini, the closed design aids aerodynamics, while the yellow accents and E badge sound like they’ll become staples of electrified Mini vehicles.
The full specs are yet to be revealed, but we do know the new Mini will roll (silently, presumably) out of the Mini factory in Oxford, while the electric drivetrain will be shipped in from Germany.
Can the Mini Electric be both futuristic and retro? Tell us in the comments below.
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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