MINI Countryman: the first MINI to be built in Germany
![MINI Countryman takes the brand into a new era](https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjliYjdjNjk1LWQ5MjItNDFlMi04ZGJjLThlYTkyMzE0M2EyOTo3NTg0MjE5OC02Nzg3LTQ4YzEtODAwMC01MTE1OTk0OTk2MWY=.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65&enable=upscale)
![MINI Countryman takes the brand into a new era](/img/placeholder.png)
Due to be built ‘entirely in Germany’, the electric Countryman – which is set to enter production this year – will be made at BMW’s Leipzig plant alongside BMW models like the 2 Series Active Tourer and 1 Series.
Previously, the Countryman has been available with both petrol and plug-in hybrid power, but it’s expected that this new version will ditch the latter in favour of the fully electric setup. A standard petrol version, however, is predicted to maintain a place in the line-up.
Up until this point, Mini has only offered its electric hatch as a battery-powered option in its range, while an extremely limited run of convertible versions was recently introduced.
![MINI Countryman](https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmZkNTc0NzRhLWYzMTctNDI4My1hMDQ4LTg4ZjE2OGM1MDg4ZTo3YTlmNDc1NC1hMmE1LTQ3N2ItOGIzZS1kNTdhZmY2ZDRiMzM=.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65)
![MINI Countryman](/img/placeholder.png)
“We are delighted to be able to hand over the first Mini “Made in Germany” to our customers in a CO2-neutral manner thanks to the plant’s sustainable energy supply. In this way, the new all-electric MINI Countryman demonstrates what the brand stands for: electrified go-kart feeling and a strong focus on a minimal environmental footprint,” said Stefanie Wurst, Head of Mini.
BMW Group will be expanding its electrical component production at Leipzig through 800 million euros (around £708m) of investment, with a future production area of 150,000 square metres being used solely for the production of electric vehicle components. It also uses wind power – generated by four turbines – to help sustainably drive the plant, while since 2017, the electricity created can be temporarily stored in a battery storage farm using batteries from old BMW i3 models.
MINI has changed the face of motoring in recent generations by introducing the concept of a premium, small car. It began with a simple three-door hatchback but has now progressed to create family cars, SUVs, convertibles and high-performance machines.
As the brand's largest model, Countryman leads the new MINI family into an era of locally emission-free electromobility. The transformation to an all-electric brand by 2030 begins with this model generation. Thanks to space-saving components such as the particularly flat high-voltage battery, which is also produced at the BMW Group Plant Leipzig, the MINI Countryman will offer additional space and even greater comfort in the future.