Rumor: All Electric MINI GP To Reach production

Eighteen months ago when we spoke to the GP product manager Petra Beck she casually mentioned that the 2021 MINI GP could be the last petrol powered GP. We even wrote about that likelihood and MINI’s intention to transition the JCW brand into an electric one. Now it would appear we’re on the verge of that seismic shift. According to sources MINI will bring the electric Pacesetter to production as an all electric MINI GP.
We know that MINI CEO Bernd Körber is aiming to transition the brand to an all electric one in the early 2030s. As part of that transition MINI will reframe JCW as an all electric performance brand. According to sources the first product as part of this transition will be an all electric JCW GP based on the Pacesetter and the electric Cooper SE.
We’ve already seen this car testing at the Nurburgring and MINI has recently debuted the Pacesetter as part of the brand’s Formula E sponsorship. However the all electric JCW GP will be a bit different. For one we expect it to follow the same suspension and chassis approach as the standard GP. That means the track focused coilover suspension and stripped out interior will be ditched for what we see in the standard GP.
The key difference of course will be the drivetrain. Replacing the 306 HP four cylinder will be an iteration of the electric drivetrain found in the Cooper SE. We expect MINI to push the output upward but our sources couldn’t confirm any output targets. However it’s a safe bet it won’t reach the same performance levels as the petrol powered GP. At least not in this iteration.
Given the debut of the next generation MINI coming in late 2022 we expect the all electric JCW GP to debut sometime later this year and go on sale in 2022 in very limited quantities. This first ever electric JCW GP will not only serve as the JCW brand’s first all electric offering but fitting farewell to the F56 platform.