Mini Said To Be Developing Electric MPV, Could Revive Traveller Moniker

The world of MPVs may be slowly dying out due to the proliferation of SUVs and crossovers, who have taken the world by storm, but Mini is reportedly looking to unveil an all-new electric people carrier.

Citing absolutely no named sources, Autocar claims that the new Mini might revive the Traveller moniker.

According to the same source, it will allegedly be based on BMW’s FAAR platform that supports both front- and all-wheel drive configurations. The flexibility of this platform will allow the car manufacturer to offer the new Traveller with a handful of different internal combustion engines, a plug-in hybrid, and the aforementioned all-electric model.

Also Read: Mini Has Received Over 45,000 Reservations For All-Electric Cooper SE

It is claimed that the new Mini could be developed alongside the eventual successor to the BMW i3 that, according to other reports, won’t actually be a direct successor to the current model but shall adopt a drastically different shape. The new Mini will ultimately be positioned as a rival to the Volkswagen ID.3.

The report goes on to state that the new model will form part of the British company’s realignment of its global operations that will see all its future models either underpinned by BMW’s FAAR platform or an architecture being developed alongside Great Wall Motors – a strategy that’s said to be masterminded by former BMW chief executive Harald Kruger.

At the same time, the British automaker has allegedly given the go-ahead for yet another electric car. Only this one won’t be an MPV but a stylish three-door hatch that will essentially be the production version of the 2011 Rocketman concept. If the report turns out to be true, the Rocketman will use an EV platform developed by the Spotlight Automotive, a joint venture between BMW and Great Wall, and shall be launched in 2022.