Mini Goes Topless With New Cooper SE Convertible: World's First Open-top Electric Hatchback

• Cooper SE Convertible is the first production open-top EV.

• Small-series production vehicle limited to just 999 units.

• Will be sold exclusively in the European market for now.

• Has subtle styling differentiators from standard Cooper SE.

• Same powertrain specifications, but gets a truncated WLTP-claimed range of 201km.

• India launch is unlikely due to limited production.

Mini embraced electrification with the launch of its first-ever all-electric vehicle - the Cooper SE. It is now bringing that electric spark to the world of top-down motoring with the first-ever convertible EV in the form of the Cooper SE Convertible. The carmaker will only sell 999 units of the EV, which will be sold starting April 2023, exclusively in the European market, at least for now.

We first got a taste of the Cooper SE Convertible back in July 2022, when the carmaker revealed a one-off convertible iteration of the Cooper SE as an idea or study. That idea has been worked upon and in under eight months, officially birthed the Cooper SE Convertible.

Design

The overall design is similar to the closed-top version. But the Cooper SE Convertible gets some unique touches, like the bronze finish for the door handles, side scuttles, and the surrounds of the front and rear lights, which were black on the standard Cooper SE. The brand logo and model wordmark further get a Piano Black shade. Oh! and also, there are only two exterior hues on offer: Enigmatic Black and White Silver.

Being a limited-run vehicle, one needs to bask in the exclusiveness of the vehicle and the Mini does it by offering 1 of 999 lettering on the door sills and side scuttles of the EV. 

Then obviously the convertible soft-top roof can be brought down while driving at speeds of up to 30kmph with just a touch of a button. Of course, the roof mechanism eats into the boot space with the convertible boasting just a 160 litres of space in the trunk.

Cabin

The cabin of the convertible is similar to the hardtop. Yellow accents all around that signify its electric nature, leatherette sports seats and steering wheel finished in Nappa leather are all familiar traits. You do get heated seats as standard, and there’s only a single theme available with exclusive Piano Black surfaces.

It retains features like the 5.5-inch MID, 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Apple CarPlay, and ambient lighting. There’s also a heads-up display, while the safety kit now gets active cruise control with stop-and-go functionality as part of the driving assists, which is offered as standard. 

Powertrain

The Convertible Mini inherits the standard Cooper SE’s powertrain as is. The 32.6kWh battery pack sends charge to the 187PS electric motor. But the convertible does trade in some performance for that wind-in-your-hair moment as its WLTP-claimed range is just 201km, compared to the 270km range claimed by Mini for the hardtop version. There’s also a drop in the time taken for the sprint from nought to 100 kmph, with the convertible clocking it in 8.2 seconds, while the hardtop avatar does it in 7.3 seconds. 

Also Read: Facelifted Honda City Sedan To Be Launched On March 2, 2023

The Mini Cooper SE Convertible making its way to India is highly unlikely, given that it is a small-series model limited to just 999 models for the Europeans. But if the popularity of the standard Cooper SE is anything to go by in the country, we reckon this one too will have quite a few buyers fancying one for themselves on our shores.