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Single-motor electric cars on BMW's Neue Klasse architecture reportedly only support rear-wheel drive, which could see future BMW and Mini electric models switch from their current front-wheel drive configuration.
A defining characteristic of the Mini hatchback since the original model debuted in 1959 may not survive in the electric era.
The BMW-owned small-car brand will reportedly ditch front-wheel drive when it launches its next-generation electric cars later this decade, which will be based on a common electric-vehicle architecture to be used across all BMW Group brands: Mini, BMW and Rolls-Royce.
Mini has historically made front-wheel-drive vehicles since the original hatchback was introduced almost 70 years ago, with the Countryman becoming its first all-wheel-drive model – and first SUV – when it debuted in 2010.
However, the brand's expected switch to BMW's upcoming Neue Klasse electric-car architecture – set to debut with the next-generation BMW iX3 SUV later this year – could see Mini vehicles adopt rear-wheel drive for the first time in its 70-year history.
Autocar reports the 800-volt architecture with BMW's 'Gen6' electric motors has been engineered to support only a main electrical motor on the rear axle of single-motor vehicles, with the addition of a smaller motor mounted to the front axle for all-wheel-drive models.
Neue Klasse vehicles will be available in single-motor, dual-motor, tri-motor and quad-motor configurations, depending on the model.
BMW's purchasing and supplier network manager Joachim Post said, "we will see what the future is" when asked if Mini could scrap front-wheel drive for its future electric vehicles.
Post added the "Mininess" would be retained for its upcoming models.
The current Mini Cooper and Aceman electric models use a dedicated architecture co-developed with China's Great Wall Motors (GWM), with these vehicles built in China.
It is likely an electric version of the BMW 1 Series would return to rear-wheel drive – after it was scrapped in the petrol and diesel version in 2019 for a new front-wheel-drive model – when it launches based on the Neue Klasse electric-car architecture, along with future editions of the 2 Series, X1 and X2.
Current electric versions of the Mini Cooper, Aceman and Countryman debuted less than two years ago, with their successors likely to emerge closer to the end of the decade – while the latest versions of the BMW 1 Series, 2 Series, X1 and X2 are also no more than three years old.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
