When the Mini first launched in 1959, prices started from £496.
This week, the Mini confirmed its first electric convertible model, and it costs over 105 times as much as the iconic original!
The BMW-owned car maker will sell a Mini Electric Convertible – based on the existing Mini Electric hatchback – in limited numbers in the UK this year, with just 150 right-hand-drive examples made available. And they will cost a staggering £52,500 each.
It will offer a range of just 124 miles on a full charge and becomes the most expensive convertible EV on the market, some £18,000 pricier than its nearest rival.
That’s no mini price tag: The BMW-owned brand has confirmed it will make a limited run of electric Mini Convertible, each costing a whopping £52,500
When the original Mini (pictured) launched in 1959, prices started from £496. The new top-down EV version unveiled this week costs over 105 times as much
The run of 150 UK-spec open-top electric Minis is part of a total model output of 999 cars across the European market.
Oddly, it will likely be on sale at the same time as BMW’s new fourth-generation hatchback being unveiled later this year, which will also have a battery-powered version.
It is only the third all-electric convertible to go on sale in the UK, following the Fiat 500C (199 miles of range) and Smart’s EQ Fortwo Cabrio (just 70 miles on a full charge).
While its two battery-powered rivals cost significantly less – the Fiat from £34,195 and the dinky Smart from £24,646 – BMW bosses say the Mini is the first proper electric convertible, with these two rivals only offering landaulet-style roofs that don’t retract fully.
The £52,500 asking price is a steep premium over the electric Hatch, which costs from £29,000, and with the cheapest petrol Mini Convertible starting from £25,465, the electrified variant is more than double.
The new Mini is only the third all-electric convertible to go on sale in the UK, following the Fiat 500C (left) and Smart’s EQ Fortwo Cabrio (right)
The Mini Electric Convertible is only a limited edition model with 999 being sold across Europe. Just 150 will be coming to the UK, the brand says
The price is a steep premium over the electric Hatch, which costs from £29,000. The hatchback version also has 21 miles longer range
The new Mini Electric Convertible is a far cry from the Alec Issigonis-designed 1959 original, which cost from £496 new some 64 years ago
To put the astronomical price tag into context, you could have a new Porsche 718 Boxster and still £2,800 left over for the money you need to spend on the Mini.
And it’s a far cry from what the original vehicle – penned by Alec Issigonis – initially stood for.
When launched 64 years ago, it was offered as an affordable option for British families to get on the road.
Even with its 1969 starting price of £496 adjusted in-line with inflation (using the This is Money historic inflation calculator) the price today comes out at £13,815, which is around a quarter of what the new Convertible EV will cost customers in 2023.
Commenting on its availability, Stefanie Wurst, head of the Mini brand, said: ‘Three years ago, we launched the Mini Electric, and today one in five Mini models sold in Europe is an all-electric Mini.
‘This success has spurred us to implement the small series of the Mini Electric Convertible within only a few months.
‘I’m delighted that we can offer 999 Mini customers an extraordinary and exclusive open-air go-kart feeling.’
Mini’s new model will offer a range of just 124 miles on a full charge and becomes the most expensive convertible EV on the market, some £18,000 pricier than its nearest rival
The 150 UK cars will come with a unique Union Jack-embossed cloth fabric roof
The Mini Electric Convertible uses the plug-in hatchback’s 32.6kWh battery and 181bhp electric motor
It will share the same 32.6kWh battery with the conventional Mini Electric, which is currently built alongside petrol versions at the company’s British factory, Plant Oxford.
However, bosses at the brand have already confirmed that the fourth-gen Mini and Mini Electric due later this year will be produced in China. The UK site will take over assembly of the convertible variant when that is eventually unveiled.
While the Mini Electric Convertible has the same drivetrain as the EV hatch, including a 181bhp electric motor, the range is some 21 miles less, likely as a result of the additional structural weight required.
It will accelerate from a standstill to 62mph in 8.2 seconds.
There isn’t much in terms of personalization as Mini looks to keep production costs as low as possible. It means customers have a choice of two colours: White Silver or Enigmatic Black
The Mini Electric Convertible’s 124-mile range is short on the 145 miles offered in the battery-powered hatchback. This is likely as a result of the additional structural weight
A fourth-generation Mini is due to be unveiled last this year. The brand has already confirmed that it and the all-new Mini Electric will be produced in China
In terms of size, it is identical to the combustion-engined convertible Mini currently on sale, though the 150 cars will come with a unique Union Jack-embossed cloth fabric roof.
There also won’t be the array of paint colours and wealth of customisation, with Mini looking to keep production costs as low as possible by offering just two fixed specifications.
It means buyers forking out £52,500 for a 124-mile-range electric Mini can choose only between White Silver or Enigmatic Black metallic paints.
The Electric Convertible also gets special-edition two-tone 17-inch alloy wheels made from recycled aluminium and each unit will be numbered from one to 999.
