Article Summary
- MINI has started work on the next-generation Cooper, and a shift to rear-wheel drive is on the table for the first time in the model’s history.
- The move hinges on BMW’s Gen6 platform, which underpins the Neue Klasse and currently has no front-drive unit in development.
- Design chief Holger Hampf says the car’s proportions and three-door body are non-negotiable regardless of what changes underneath.
MINI has allegedly started work on the next-generation Cooper, and for the first time in the model’s seven-decade history, it may not be front-wheel drive, as we hinted in the past as well. The current Cooper, on sale since 2024 with petrol and electric options, is built by joint-venture partner Great Wall Motor in China on a front-drive platform shared with the Aceman. That car arrived to a thin field of small-EV rivals, chief among them the Fiat 500e.
It doesn’t have that luxury anymore. The Renault 5 and Fiat Grande Panda already undercut it on range for the money, and the Volkswagen ID Polo, Cupra Raval and Kia EV2 are about to pile on, alongside BYD and Geely. MINI has answered with price cuts and a facelift is due within the next couple of years, but none of that changes the platform underneath, and that’s the part that’s now up for reconsideration.
Why Rear-Wheel Drive Is Even On The Table
The next Cooper is allegedly lined up for BMW’s Gen6 platform, the same one underpinning the Neue Klasse cars starting with the iX3 and the i3 saloon. Gen6 wasn’t built to accommodate front-wheel drive. The rear motors in the iX3 and i3 use gearboxes; the smaller units on the front axle of the all-wheel-drive versions of those cars don’t. BMW Group engineers told Autocar at the Gen6 launch that there are no plans to develop a viable front-drive unit for the architecture, which leaves MINI with a straightforward, if unwelcome, choice: adopt rear drive or stay off the platform.
That’s a bigger deal for MINI than it would be for most brands. Every MINI since BMW took over the marque three decades ago has driven the front wheels, and the same shift is already coming for the BMW 1 Series, which currently shares the petrol Cooper’s UKL platform and is set to move to rear drive as it picks up an electric option. BMW development boss Joachim Post has previously told Autocar the MINI could follow the same path, saying the company would pick whatever configuration works best for the car and that “sheer driving pleasure” is the priority for future models.
We flagged this exact scenario back in February 2025, when our sources pointed to MINI’s next EV going rear-wheel drive on the Neue Klasse architecture.
What It Means For The Petrol Car
A rear-drive electric Cooper would widen the gap with its petrol sibling. The current petrol Cooper is a reworked version of the previous-generation car, while the EV runs on the separate Chinese JV platform; the two already look related without being mechanically close. If the next EV lands on Gen6, that gap gets wider. Autocar reports the petrol Cooper is expected to soldier on through the 2030s on front-wheel drive, likely with hybrid power added along the way, rather than following the electric car onto the new platform.
It remains to be seen what will happen to the iconic Cooper in the next generation of cars, but a move to a rear-wheel drive ICE architecture could be the answer for the brand’s future. This will bring back the vibes of the original 1 Series RWD, but with the fun and quirkiness of a MINI.
