The most striking thing about the leaked images of the upcoming Mini EV that surfaced online in late 2021 was its radically different triangular rear light clusters. And it looks like the next combustion car, expected to drop later this year as a 2024MY, will adopt the same look.
At a glance, the rear lights on this prototype look just like the round, blobby lamps on the current car, but closer inspection reveals the true outline of the rear lights beneath, plus a new shape for the lower section of the hatch and rear bumper.
Why does this matter? Because the combustion and electric versions of the next Mini are entirely different cars. While the EV is a brand new car, the ICE car is merely a facelifted and upgraded version of the current Mini that was originally launched way back in 2014.
This is why this Mini prototype features upgraded lights but largely carries over the front-end design of the current car, including its clamshell hood. In contrast, the EV gets a smaller, more conventional hood with a shut-line on top of the fenders that runs inside the headlights and doesn’t extend so far down towards the grille.
Related: 2024 MINI Countryman Dons Production Lights Ahead Of Next Year’s Debut
Other key styling differences include the door handles, which are modern flush-fit units on the EV, but regular grab handles on the ICE models. Overall though, the cars should still look very similar, and instantly recognizable as Minis. That theme will continue inside, where we can expect the digital infotainment system to grow, but still retain the housing’s unusual circular shape that takes inspiration from the center-mounted speedometer in the original 1959 Mini.
There’ll also be more tech under the hood, including 48-volt mild-hybrid hardware and a range of engines varying from meek to monstrous, though we’ll have to wait for a while after the regular Cooper and S are launched later this year to find out how much more performance Mini has stuffed into the flagship JCW hot hatch. And if you’ve always liked the idea of owning a gas-powered Mini, this could be your last chance. Come 2030, Mini will ditch combustion engines altogether and become a purely EV brand.
