MINI is getting ready to launch its new 2024 Countryman later this year, with production switching to BMW Group’s Leipzig plant in Germany as the company strives to reduce its environment footprint.
This will be the first MINI to be built entirely in Germany, as the company shifts to a fully electrified future lineup. However, MINI says the new Countryman will be offered with both electric and combustion engines for now, but the overarching plan is for MINI to be a completely electric brand from 2030.
MINI production is moving to Germany as BMW’s (parent company) plants offer a more sustainable energy supply, with minimal environmental footprint. The Leipzig factory is described as one of the most modern and sustainable auto factories in the world.
The plant produces high-voltage batteries which will be used in the upcoming Countryman, and BMW says it is expanding its capacities for e-components to accommodate the MINI rollout, investing over 800 million euros. It says that by 2024 it will have over 1000 employees involved in the manufacturing of e-components.
Having components built in-house means less transport to move parts from different areas of the production sequence, reducing the carbon footprint. The plant also operates on sustainable energy sources, which further reduce the overall footprint. For example, there are four large wind turbines on site that, in 2021, generated 21.9gWh of electricity.
As for the new MINI Countryman, no official details have been confirmed as yet. As far as we know however, the new model will be a bit bigger than the outgoing model while retaining the UKL2 platform, and is expected to share some components with the new BMW X1.
Power is likely to come from a 1.5-litre turbo three-cylinder, which produces 115kW and 230Nm in the X1 18i. A 2.0-litre turbo developing 150kW might also be brought across from the X1 20i.
Seen as though the new iX1 features a 64.7kWh battery, feeding a pair of electric motors, you could assume a similar setup for the Countryman electric. The iX1 xDrive30 develops a combined 230kW and 494Nm.
Production of the 2024 Countryman will commence “from the end of this year”. It will be produced alongside the BMW 1 and 2 Series. An initial unveiling is expected in the coming months.
