Some traditions are sacrosanct while others are more like habits. The Mini Cooper featuring a front-wheel-drive platform probably isn’t an inviolable rule, but it is something we’ve come to expect. Interestingly, a new report from Autocar subverts those same expectations and suggests that the next-generation Cooper Electric could adopt a rear-drive setup.
According to the report, Mini has started development work on the next-gen Cooper Electric, which is slated to arrive in the next few years. When it does show up, the next EV Cooper will be built on BMW’s new Gen6 platform that currently underpins the Neue Klasse i3 and iX3.
As things stand now, the Gen6 platform doesn’t support FWD cars. The larger drive motors for the rear axle are equipped with gearboxes, but the smaller motors attached to the front axle are not.
The combustion Cooper could make the same layout switch as the EV. According to a separate Autocar report, the BMW 1-series that the Cooper gasser shares a platform with will revert to a rear-drive base in 2028. BMW’s development boss, Joachim Post, alluded to the outlet that the Mini could do the same. The executive said the brand would pick “the optimum for the package,” and that “sheer driving pleasure” is Mini’s top priority.
While both versions of the Cooper share a similar design ethos, the combustion model is really a heavily overhauled version of the previous-generation Cooper, while the EV is based on a more modern platform. Still, Holger Hampf, the brand’s design chief, told Autocar that maintaining the Cooper’s proportions and style is “non-negotiable.”