Adam Aston and Matt Vella

BMW Takes An Electric Mini For A Spin

Promising that you can now “hug trees as you hug corners,” German carmaker BMW launched the Mini E, an electric version of its popular gas-powered Mini Cooper, on Nov. 19 at the Los Angeles auto show. The debut takes the form of a pilot program to lease just 500 cars to drivers in Los Angeles and metropolitan New York City. More than 10,000 drivers have applied to plunk down $850 a month—$29 less than the lease price of BMW’s $76,000-plus 7 Series sedan. (The company isn’t revealing its criteria for Mini E drivers, other than to say they must have a “lockable garage.” BMW will supply a plug-in wall unit.)

BMW’s green cred has been scant in recent years, as it maintained a focus on ­producing powerhouse sedans. But the Mini-E could be a game-changer. It brings speed and style to an otherwise earnest eco-car niche, says John O’Dell, a green-vehicle expert at car-enthusiast site Edmunds.com. “If it were an electric Kia,” he says, “there wouldn’t be as much buzz.”