Q&A STEFANIE WURST, HEAD OF MINI
What does the ‘revolution’ mean for Mini?
“This is our gateway into 100% electric and brings us from 15% now [with just the Mini Electric in the line-up], to maybe a little bit more next year and then to more than 50% by the middle of this decade, then to almost 100%.”
How is Mini’s position evolving with this new line-up?
“Mini is a very democratic brand, but also a premium brand because we offer a really good product. But it’s not a brand you express status with and I think Mini is for people who don’t need to express their status with their car but express a certain state of mind.
“So I think Mini, in a way, is a very modern and contemporary product.
It is not about being big or premium. It is about a certain lifestyle that you have: you take things more easily; you’re not tense about what your income status is, what kind of hierarchy level you work at. It is more a state of mind.”
How do you want people to see Mini in the EV era?
“Mini is fun. It’s still gokarting. It’s always been a very friendly car. A Mini has to be easy and simple and easygoing. Anything too complex is actually not Mini. So I think it’s about preserving what you have – for example, the centre display, really bringing it into [the modern day] with gamification and a brilliant display, but not straying too far away from the brand.”
Why do you think the Aceman will be your best-seller?
“Because it offers everything. You have five doors, so if I had a family or sometimes passengers, or other things to transport, then this is the right car.
“It’s only electric, which is the future of what we foresee right now.
“And it’s a crossover, which a lot of people love because it’s a little bit more rugged and it’s more quirky. And it’s like ‘I could drive this off road if I wanted but I don’t have to’ – that kind of thing.”
Why launch the Aceman instead of a five-door Cooper Electric?
“I think the Aceman has more potential. And I think this car would look great in Asia, in China, because they are less traditional. Also, we are still talking about the first generation of car drivers – people my age, or maybe older, maybe younger – whose parents didn’t drive. It’s the first, and so they don’t have this heritage going on for them. They’re less traditionalist.”