Countryman confirmed as Mini Australia’s first PHEV

MINI Australia has finally confirmed its long-awaited Countryman plug-in hybrid SUV will go on sale next year, heralding a wider rollout of electrified powertrains for the BMW-owned brand further down the track.

 

Speaking to media at the launch of the facelifted Mini Hatch and Convertible range, BMW Group Australia CEO Marc Werner confirmed the electrified Countryman would bolster the six-variant SUV line-up in the second quarter of 2019.

 

“We launched the Countryman not too long ago, and the Countryman has not only grown in size but it’s definitely also giving us a necessary boost in order to further grow our Mini footprint in the so-important SUV segment,” he said.

 

“Yes, we will launch a plug-in hybrid version of the Countryman, so that’s confirmed.

 

“You know that I am personally very much pushing EVs in this market, it sometimes feels hard like pushing water up a hill, but we need to have vision, and our vision is very clearly to electrify not only our product range, but also to offer the widest product range when it comes to (electrified) vehicles.

 

“So the latest edition to our electrified vehicles in our BMW product portfolio will be the Countryman PHEV.”

 

However, Mr Werner confirmed the Countryman flagship will still be the spicy $59,900 before on-roads John Cooper Works (JCW) All4, while the Countryman S E All4 will likely mirror its BMW 3, 5 and 7 Series plug-in counterparts, as well as the electrified X5 SUV, in price positioning, which share parity with their internal combustion counterparts.

 

“The flagship will always be a John Cooper Works version, but, as I mentioned before, what we’ve seen on the BMW side with our plug-in strategy, we’re also implementing now on the Mini side,” he said.

 

“Plug-in hybrid vehicles, electrified vehicles, and of course there will be a battery electric vehicle coming as well, which is not confirmed for Australia yet, it’s confirmed for other markets – and the other side is obviously John Cooper Works.

 

“That (pricing) still remains to be seen because with the Countryman … of course we’re talking about a product launch that is happening 12 months’ time.”

 

Therefore, the electrified Countryman could wear a circa-$53,900 pricetag that matches the 140kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel Cooper SD All4.

 

Under the bonnet of the S E All4 is a 100kW/220Nm 1.5-litre turbo-petrol three pot, teamed with a 65kW/165Nm electric motor for a combined output of 165kW/385Nm.

 

With the petrol engine’s outputs directed to the front axle through a six-speed automatic transmission and the electric motor’s power sent to the rear, the all-wheel-drive Countryman S E All4 can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in just 6.8 seconds – only 0.3s slower than the range-topping 170kW/350Nm JCW.

 

Official fuel consumption figures are rated between 2.1-2.3 litres per 100km – making the Countryman S E All4 the most frugal Mini available in Australia – while CO2 emissions are pegged at 49 grams per kilometre.

 

Charging the 7.6kWh lithium-ion battery takes just over three hours through a standard outlet, but recharging can be cut down to two and a half hours through a 3.6kW power point.

 

As for the remainder of the Mini range, Mr Werner said electrified powertrains were in-line with buyer feedback.

 

“We trialled it (Countryman S E All4) and it turns out there is a lot of demand from the customers for it,” he said. “Our Mini customer profiles, this technology definitely appeals to their appetite.”

 

While other electrified Mini Australia products are currently unconfirmed, the brand showed off the all-electric E Electric concept at last year’s Frankfurt motor show that is due to make production next year.

 

The emissions-free hatchback could be made available to local buyers around 2020.

 

At the time of the reveal, BMW chairman Harold Kruger said: “Mini and electrification make a perfect match.”

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