Following In Mini Footsteps, John Cooper Works Division Develops EVs With Fun Driving Characteristics

Mini Cooper SE and Mini Countryman SE ALL4 (source: BMW Group)

JAKARTA - It's no secret that manufacturers like Mini are starting to shift their focus in presenting more electric vehicles (EVs) in the future. This will have an impact on the high-performance division of Mini vehicles, John Cooper Works (JCW).

Just like his brother's company BMW, with division M going to switch to electrification, Mini and JCW have a commitment to bring more EVs. Not only being an environmentally friendly vehicle, the company guarantees that the cars developed by them have the characteristics of fun driving like the ICE model.

Mike Peyeton, as the Vice President of Mini America, assesses that EV cars are currently oriented towards performance and pleasure in driving, which fits perfectly with the characteristics of JCW.

"There must be some things that we're working on, because when we think about a more performance-oriented EV, it fits perfectly with the JCW," Peyton said as quoted by Motor1, Friday, November 10.

Even so, the division still needs to learn more EV cars. This is intended so that the EV presented by them still has a driving character in the style of 'Go-Kart' which has become the hallmark of Mini. What's more, electric cars have batteries with weights that will affect car performance.

Christian Wehner, Global Head of Mini Product, said that it will learn so that battery weights and other heavy components in EVs do not affect the performance of its electric cars, so they can be driven agilely and powered.

All electric cars have good acceleration. But do all these electric cars bring pleasure of driving like go-karts? Of course not. Because there are other things that play a role, weight of the car, steering the car, how does it feel to sit in the car, "said Wehner.

Although it will present a pure electric car, it does not mean that JCW will soon stop developing gasoline-fueled cars. The British brand said it all depends on the sale of the parent company, BMW Group, which wants to reach 50 percent electrification by 2030.

If this has not been achieved, Mini and JCW will continue to produce ICE-fueled cars in the future

Of course this is good news for Mini or JCW fans. Previously, the brand announced that they would not maintain manual transmission that had been the hallmark of Mini for generations.