Mini is working on a hot John Cooper Works electric three-door hatch, as previewed last year. And it will show off a prototype at next week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Based on the new Mini Cooper SE that’s gone on sale recently in Europe, the hot-shoe model has had some input from Great Wall Motors in China. It features a bespoke EV chassis and front-mounted electric motor.
Not much is known about the Mini Cooper JCW E but it should have the same 54kWh battery pack as the Cooper SE. An electric motor mounts on the front axle. In the current production SE model, this produces 160kW. However, the electric JCW will output significantly more power. Whether or not it has a motor at the other end of the car is unclear. The electric platform can evidently support a dual-motor set-up. The answer awaits next week’s Festival of Speed. Mini suggests a front-wheel drive layout because the battery pack gives it a 50:50 weight balance anyway.
Other expected features of the Mini Cooper JCW E include wider wheels and tyres, larger brakes and stiffer suspension. The Cooper SE weighs over 1700kg so the JCW E won’t drive in quite the go-kart fashion of previous ICE generations. However, it will still be fun on road; it’s a JCW after all.
As an aside, a prototype petrol-engined Cooper JCW won its class in the recent Nürburgring 24 Hour race. So we’d expect the electric version to be a bit of a tyrant as well. A Mini insider already said the JCW E will be as quick as its ICE powered sib (low 5sec for the 0-100 sprint).
The production version of the JCW E will officially launch towards the end of this year or early in 2025.
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