Next Mini Cooper Could Drop Front-Wheel Drive for BMW's Rear-Drive Platform

Mini is facing intense competition in Europe's supermini market, with rivals like Renault, Fiat, Volkswagen, Cupra, Kia, and Chinese brands BYD and Geely all pushing electric options. To stay relevant, the next Mini Cooper may undergo a major change that could unsettle purists.

The current Cooper is only two years old, but Mini's design chief, Holger Hampf, confirmed to Autocar that the next generation is already underway. According to the report, the new model will be built on BMW's Gen6 platform, which is designed for rear-wheel-drive electric cars. That marks a departure from the Mini's front-wheel-drive layout, which has defined it since the 1950s.

The original Mini's transverse engine and front-drive setup made it compact and affordable.

BMW engineers reportedly said there are no plans to develop a front-wheel-drive unit for Mini. " He also emphasized that "sheer driving pleasure" remains the priority, a phrase long associated with BMW's own branding.

This shift would complete Mini's transformation into a small BMW, moving away from its heritage as an affordable front-wheel-drive car. The electric version already uses a Chinese joint venture platform, but it will move to a German rear-drive one. That raises a key question: can a rear-wheel-drive Mini sharing a platform with BMW models still truly be a Mini Cooper?