Electric Mini Countryman to begin production in Germany as ICE models wind down

Production of the new electric Mini Countryman will begin this year at the BMW Group plant in Leipzig, making it the first time a Mini model has been produced entirely in Germany.

With plans to unveil the third-generation Countryman crossover at some point this year, Mini has this week teased the all-electric model which the company hopes will lead the greater Mini family into its next stage of life.

The last ICE model Mini will be introduced in 2025 ahead of plans to transition the entire Mini line-up to electric by 2030.

And while the Mini Electric is already the best-selling Mini model variant offered by the BMW Group – selling 43,744 electric Mini Cooper SEs during 2022, an increase of 25.5% over 2021 – the all-electric Mini line-up will continue to evolve.

BMW Group hasn’t unveiled any specifics about the Mini Countryman, though some reports suggest, based on similarities to the BMW iX1, that it will offer around 300 horsepower and a range around the 420-kilometre mark.

What we do know, now, is that the Mini Countryman will be the first fully “Made in Germany” Mini model. Production is expected to get underway this year at BMW Group’s sustainable production site in Leipzig, which the company bills as one of the most modern and sustainable automotive factories in the world.

The Mini Countryman will be made on the same production line in Leipzig as the BMW 1 Series, BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé, and BMW 2 Series Active Tourer.

“We are delighted to be able to hand over the first MINI ‘Made in Germany’ to our customers in a CO2-neutral manner thanks to the plant’s sustainable energy supply,” said Stefanie Wurst, head of Mini.

“In this way, the new all-electric MINI Countryman demonstrates what the brand stands for: electrified go-kart feeling and a strong focus on a minimal environmental footprint.”

BMW has said that the new Mini Countryman “will roll off the production line in Leipzig from the end of this year” and that its high-voltage batteries will also come from the plant’s own battery production facilities.

Part of the plant’s sustainability efforts include four on-site wind turbines.

“Our Leipzig vision is the complete decarbonization of production by replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen,” added Petra Peterhaensel, Leipzig plant director.

“At the BMW Group plant in Leipzig, we are the first automotive plant in the world to use a newly developed burner technology in our paint shop that can use green hydrogen instead of natural gas. Hydrogen has already been used in plant logistics since 2013.

“Today, five hydrogen filling stations provide energy for over 130 fuel cell-powered industrial trucks, the largest fleet in Germany.”