The first Mini made in Germany: New Countryman SUV breaks cover

The Mini is an icon of British culture, but for the first time in the brand’s 64-year history, a model with the legendary badge is being built in Germany.

BMW, which bought Mini in 1996, has released images of its new – and heavily disguised – Countryman SUV at the car giant’s Leipzig factory, where it will be made from the end of this year.

The second-generation family car will have a new look and larger dimensions than the model it replaces. And there will also be a fully electric version, he confirmed.

“This will be the first time that a Mini model will be produced entirely in Germany,” the brand said in a statement on Wednesday.

Assembly will begin in 2023 in “one of the most modern and sustainable car plants in the world,” BMW bosses added.

“We are pleased to be able to hand over the first Mini “Made in Germany” to our customers in a CO2-neutral way thanks to the factory’s sustainable energy supply,” explains Stefanie Wurst, head of Mini.

“In this way, the new fully electric Mini Countryman shows what the brand stands for: an electrified go-kart feeling and a strong focus on a minimal ecological footprint.”

Stefanie Wurst (pictured), head of Mini, said the new Countryman battery will offer an “electrified go-kart feel and a strong focus on a minimal carbon footprint”

The second-generation family car will have a new look and larger dimensions than the model it replaces

The forthcoming Countryman will share the same platform as BMW’s 2 Series Active Tourer MPV and X1 SUV, which are also produced at the same plant on Germany’s east side.

In fact, this will be the first time that BMW and Mini products have been produced at the same site since the former took over the company from the Rover Group some 27 years ago.

First launched in the UK in September 2010, the Countryman has so far been produced in the Netherlands, although BMW confirmed in 2020 that it would not renew a contract to build the next-generation model there.

The move of production from Countryman to Leipzig marks the first time BMW and Mini products have been produced together at the same site since the former took over the company in 1996

The upcoming Countryman will share the same platform as BMW’s 2 Series Active Tourer and X1 SUV, which are also produced at the same factory in East Germany

The decision to opt for a fully electric powertrain for Countryman means the end of the plug-in hybrid version, which has been on sale since June 2017

The decision to opt for a fully electric powertrain for Countryman means the end of the plug-in hybrid version that has been on sale since June 2017.

The high-voltage batteries for the future all-electric family car will be supplied by the factory’s own production facility in Leipzig.

Petrol variants will be sold in the UK, but there will be no diesel. However, other markets will get the option of an oil burner.

While images released by BMW and Mini show the upcoming crossover heavily camouflaged, there’s no doubt that the second-generation Countryman will look different from the original.

It will be bigger too, with interior and boot space one of the biggest criticisms of Mini’s largest car in its range.

Countryman’s production shift to Germany is just one of many production changes the Mini brand is making.

It has already confirmed that the new fourth-generation Mini Electric hatchback will be built in China as part of a new joint venture between BMW and Great Wall Motors.

It was previously produced at Plant Oxford, which will continue to make the petrol and diesel variants, as well as the new Convertible model.

The outgoing Mini Electric was the UK’s sixth most popular EV last year with 7,425 bought by Brits in 2022, SMMT figures show.