Mini delivers first electric hatch and introduces new pricing package

The Australian arm of iconic British brand Mini is introducing a mobility package to ease drivers into EV ownership as the car maker delivers the first Cooper SE electric hatch in Australia.

The package, which includes servicing, roadside assistance, and a Wallbox, also gives Cooper SE owners the chance to take a loaner vehicle for trips where EV charging networks aren’t easily accessible.

The Mini Cooper SE electric hatch was launched in Australia in July and is available from $59,990. The compact EV offers up to 233km driving range (WLTP) from a 32.6kWh battery.

This is adequate range for everyday driving and is also enough to drive between key sites in Australia’s rapidly growing DC fast charging networks, at which the Mini Cooper SE can recharge to 80% in around 30 minutes or to full in less than 45 minutes.

However for those times that accessing a charging network is not as easy, Mini will offer those who take up the mobility package the option of borrowing a Countryman for the weekend (noting this may be the plug-in hybrid, or the JCW or Cooper S depending on what is available).

The mobility package also includes Mini’s Wallbox home charger which can increase home charging rates to 11kW, which would recharge the Mini Cooper SE in around 3 hours.

The “Mini Dynamic Mobility Package” will be offered by the car maker on finance to buyers of the Electric Cooper SE, over a four-year period. Also included in the mobility package are a 5-year all-inclusive servicing package and roadside assistance.

Mini is also offering a “hand-back” option should financial circumstances change, that can be taken up every two-year period.

The 2020 allocation for the Mini Cooper SE has already been taken up, and the car maker is now taking orders for 2021.

“We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback and constant enquiries about the Mini Electric Hatch, which is a welcome reminder of how well it fits the brief as a city-friendly, environmentally-focused EV that also delivers Mini ’s signature go-kart thrills,” said Brett Waudby, GM for Mini in Australia and New Zealand.   

The first Mini Cooper SE was handed to Jeff Shaw, an electrical engineer working in Brisbane.

As an electrical engineer – plus being a big Mini fan – buying an electric car was a no-brainer, he says.

“I have always loved Minis, and have had several (old and new). Being an electrical engineer, I also love electric cars,” he said in a note by email to Mini.

“I’ve been looking for one for ages and tested pretty much every one in Australia. I never really liked any of them enough to get one. When I heard about the MINI getting electrified, I knew for a fact it would be the car for me.”

“My first car (many years ago) was a 78 Mini clubman which I absolutely loved. This started my love for MINIs. The SE will be my fourth, and second “new” Mini (the first being a Mini One in the UK).

“I have always enjoyed their playful demeanour which makes them a joy to drive. It has taken a while to get back into one, but I didn’t think twice.”

Mini says the mobility package can be accessed with a $3,000 deposit, then a $275 payment every week for the first 24 months, then $98 a week for the following 24 months.