Electric Mini John Cooper Works prototype heads for Goodwood

Mini will use the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed running in the U.K. from July 11-14 to present a prototype of its upcoming John Cooper Works E, the new high-performance version of the electric Cooper hatch.

The latest Cooper has been launched with both electric and gas powertrains, and the JCW grade will also offer both powertrain types. The formal debut will take place this fall.

The gas and electric versions of the latest Cooper are based on separate platforms. While the gas versions use a warmed over version of the platform underpinning the previous-generation Cooper, the electric versions are based on a new dedicated EV platform developed by Mini in partnership with Great Wall Motors. This distinction will also be true for the JCWs.

Mini hasn’t provided any specifications for the JCWs, but the gas version should come with its predecessor’s 2.0-liter turbo-4, perhaps with a bit more horsepower than the older model’s 228-hp rating. Drive should go to the front wheels only, via an 8-speed automatic transmission.

The electric JCW will likely combine a 54.2-kwh battery, the biggest battery currently fitted to the electric Cooper, with a single electric motor at the front axle. The electric Cooper currently tops out with the 215-hp Cooper SE grade, and the JCW will almost certainly deliver more performance.

Mini has only announced the gas Cooper for the U.S. market. It arrives in showrooms later this year as a 2025 model, initially in base Cooper and sporty Cooper S grades.

All versions of the electric Cooper are built in China only, meaning mporting them to the U.S. will attract steep tariffs. As a result, Mini is likely to wait until production of the EVs is added to the automaker’s plant in the U.K., where the gas versions are built. That’s currently scheduled for 2026.