Here’s How Much the Mini Countryman EV Will Cost

• Production of the Mini Countryman Electric has kicked off in Leipzig, Germany, alongside its internal combustion twin and smaller BMW models.

• The Countryman Electric becomes Mini's second major EV offering, joining current Cooper SE Electric, amid plans for Mini's range to go EV-only by 2030.

• The Countryman Electric will go on sale stateside in the fall of 2024 as a 2025 model, offering a dual-motor layout good for 313 hp and 363 lb-ft of torque, and a preliminary US range of 245 miles, set to be confirmed by the EPA closer to launch.

The Mini Countryman Electric has joined the assembly line in Leipzig, Germany, becoming Mini's second battery-electric model along with the current Cooper SE Electric.

Built alongside the BMW 1-Series, 2-Series Active Tourer, and the 2-Series Coupe, the Countryman is a significant step towards Mini's goal of becoming an EV-only automaker by 2030.

The model itself was revealed a few months ago in gas-engine flavor, so the changes on the outside are minimal, with the two versions of the Countryman being built alongside each other.

Later in 2024, the automaker plans to start churning out almost 500 units of the electric model per day, with Mini betting on the Countryman to drive its electrification strategy in the coming years.

What's more, the batteries themselves are assembled at the Leipzig plant as well including cell coating, module production, and final battery assembly, rather than being shipped by a supplier.

"We are in the middle of the transformation to e-mobility," said Head of Battery Production at the BMW Group, Markus Fallböhmer. "Starting this year, Plant Leipzig will carry out every stage of our in-house high-voltage battery production process. It's our next great step forward."

To produce the high-voltage batteries, automaker is using the factory space that had previously been devoted to BMW i3 and i8 production. In all, the two battery assembly lines are capable of delivering up to 300,000 batteries a year.

"In recent years the BMW Group has invested around €1.6 billion ($1.75 billion) in the Leipzig site to produce additional vehicles and electric components, and now we're increasing vehicle volumes too—which is great news for our plant," said Petra Peterhänsel, plant director.

The electric Countryman itself will be offered in two main specs internationally: In single-motor E trim with 201 hp on tap, and in dual-motor SE All4 flavor with 313 hp and 363 lb-ft of torque (with the help of temporary boost), good enough for a 0-to-60 mph launch time of 5.6 seconds.

It is this latter version that we expect to receive stateside later this year, along with its 66.4-kWh battery, while the single-motor variant will stay back in Europe.

Mini currently expects the US model to offer a range of 245 miles (though the actual EPA figure will be made known closer to the start of sales later this year), and will start at $46,195 including destination.

But we won't see the really new J01-generation Cooper hardtop EV stateside for a while, not until 2026. That's because the electric Cooper hardtop will enter production in China first, with Mini waiting until production gets going in the UK before shipping it stateside.

Will the Countryman Electric become Mini's top EV offering, or will the smaller electric Cooper be more popular? Let us know what you think in the comments below.