Our spy photographers have found the next tiny Hatch tackling its Arctic development programme, this time with an electric powertrain. The fourth-generation version of the BMW tiny will get smaller as part of the redesign, and it’s based on a new electric platform co-designed with the Chinese maker great Wall.
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BMW hopes that its compact redesign of the tiny will allow it to steal a few sales off the new, pure-electric Fiat 500. These images show that its styling won’t have quite the same retro appeal as the Fiat, though, as it’ll be an evolution of the current-generation tiny Hatch rather than a faithful throwback to Issegonis’s original design.
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The headlights and front bumper are quite similar to the current car’s, sharing the same bulbous styling. However, the windscreen has been raked back a little further, likely to help improve aerodynamics and maximise the amount of range for the electric variant.
MINI has given the Hatch’s rear end a much a lot more thorough overhaul. There’s a new set of trapezoidal tail lights hiding under the camouflage (which are unlike anything we’ve seen on a tiny before), connected by a fresh trim piece running across the tailgate.
The front and rear overhangs look considerably shorter than the current model, but it’s entirely possible that the car’s wheelbase will be the same as its predecessor’s. The distance between the front wheels and the motorist looks about the same as before, which drops a pretty major hint about the car’s size.
