BMW is reportedly thinking about the idea of making its MINI brand all-electric according to Peter Schwarzenbauer, a BMW board member and MINI’s boss. BMW is currently discussing the idea with other automakers to find partners to lower the costs of the MINI electric vehicles.
Schwarzenbauer revealed to Automotive News that it is talking with several automakers around the world, not only in China, about how to electrify smaller cars. Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor recently revealed that it was discussing a partnership with BMW to produce MINI electric vehicles in China.
The move to an all-electric lineup in the U.S. could help improve MINI’s sales, since through October of this year sales fell 10 percent to 38,456 units. Daimler recently announced a similar plan for its Smart brand, which will switch to an all-electric lineup.
According to Schwarzenbauer the way to improve MINI’s sales is to not add larger SUVs and instead move “in the direction of the electric urban mobility company.”
Either way, MINI has already announced plans to introduce an electric car in 2019.
Source: Automotive News
