Mini is quickly shifting its product offering from traditional ICE to EV vehicles, and if the company's 2021 sales results are anything to go by, this is definitely the right decision. Mini is still developing ICE vehicles, and while models such as the high-performance John Cooper Works isn't ready to go full battery power just yet, the next Mini Countryman PHEV promises to be the most powerful production Mini yet. The UK brand is now looking to revive the classic Mini Paceman name with electric power and take the subcompact luxury crossover market by storm.

Mini plans on becoming a fully electric brand by 2030 and as part of that big shift, it will aim to relaunch the Paceman as a small electric crossover, taking the fight directly to competitors such as the Ford Puma in European markets, and could even do battle with more upmarket competitors such as the Range Rover Evoque. This little crossover SUV was discontinued back in 2017, but it is expected to come back swinging and could either make use of a bespoke EV matrix platform built in China (and developed in Germany) or a steel monocoque chassis.

We expect the four-door Paceman to make use of BMW's new 'Generation 5' e-motor tech which develops up to 181 hp and 199 lb-ft in the BMW i3. We suspect that Mini will offer the Paceman with a single FWD motor, and a dual, AWD setup.

According to sources close to Car Magazine, the Paceman is expected to have a battery capacity of around 60 kWh, an all-wheel-drive system, and a range of approximately 250 miles. New battery technology means that the Paceman, and its other Mini EV siblings, will do away with Cobalt, significantly reducing costs. Speaking of costs, Mini plans to manufacture the Paceman at a BMW Group-GWM venture plant located in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province in China, which has an annual production capacity of 160,000 vehicles.

'We have the next five years buttoned up and, come 2030, Mini will be fully electric. We'll use two architectures: a bespoke EV matrix developed in Munich but built in China; and a comprehensive evolution of our existing platform. A Mini is a Mini, no matter whether it's battery or petrol-powered,' revealed Bernd Korber, head of Mini. Production of the new Paceman hatch will start this year.