With its nimble city car demeanor, the Mini brand is ripe for electrification. The 2022 Mini Cooper SE Hardtop E is currently the company's only electric vehicle, powered by a 181-horsepower electric motor with a modest 114-mile driving range. These specifications make the SE one of the lowest-range EVs available in the United States, but it's also the least expensive with a $29,900 starting price before incentives. Mini is already working on its next-generation EV that should improve on the range, and according to Auto Motor Sport, it should spawn a convertible version.

Ahead of an official announcement, the German outlet claims the current gas-powered Mini Cooper Convertible will end production in 2024 and give way to an electric model in 2025. Convertibles still accounted for one-fifth of Mini's sales in 2020, so it is important to keep a drop-top option as the brand moves towards electrification.

Though an electric Mini Convertible will arrive in 2025, it won't spell the immediate end for internal combustion. The next-generation Cooper Convertible will use a new version of BMW's UKL platform, which is designed to use a gasoline engine or an electric drivetrain. This will likely be the final gas-powered Mini ever, as the UK brand aims to be all-electric by the early 2030s. By 2027, Mini expects more than half of its sales to come from EVs. For Mini's electric models to succeed, they will have to improve on the SE's lackluster range.

There are no further details regarding the electric Mini Convertible, but rumors indicate it will arrive alongside several other EV models. Some of these rumored models include a larger Countryman SUV, an unnamed MPV (possibly the Aceman), a smaller model called the Minor, and replacements for the Hardtop and Clubman. The rumored Minor could be Mini's most affordable EV, with 135 hp on tap and a 170-mile driving range.