Move over Cupra Born! Mini Aceman JCW electric performance SUV is confirmed, plus future of John Cooper Works models revealed

Anyone fearing the demise of Mini’s performance models in the age of electric vehicles can relax. Because the famed John Cooper Works (JCW) name is confirmed to live on.

The first fully electric JCW model will appear in the coming years in the form of the Aceman SUV, which was just unveiled in concept guise in Dusseldorf, Germany.

JCW represents the pinnacle of the BMW-owned brand’s model range and there are currently performance versions of a number of models including the three-door Hatch, Clubman, and Countryman.

There were questions over the future of the JCW badge given Mini’s plans to become a totally electric brand by the early 2030s.

However, the global head of the Mini brand, Stefanie Wurst, told CarsGuide at the reveal of the Aceman concept that JCW will “of course” live on.

“Because we have to bring the go-kart feeling and extreme feeling to the electric age,” she said. “It is the same as what our sister brand BMW is doing (with M division), but for Mini. It’s a definite goal area that we are bringing the epitome of the racetrack feeling to the electric world.”

When asked if we will see a JCW version of every model in Mini’s forthcoming new family of models, Ms Wurst responded, “That’s the plan.”

The confirmation came at the reveal of the all-electric Aceman concept, which will become Mini’s next new model line.

When asked by CarsGuide whether the production version of the Aceman, due in 2024, would spawn a JCW version, she said:

“Yes, you can expect that. Because JCW is a very important part of our heritage, but the go-kart feeling will be there in all of the variants.”

The news will be welcomed by small performance car fans, and it will provide Mini with a flagship variant for each of its models.

Mini has not revealed any details about the electric powertrain for the Aceman concept or the production version, so it remains unclear what sort of power and 0-100km/h time a JCW Aceman will have.

It will use a unique platform developed in collaboration with Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motor, and the Aceman will be produced exclusively in China for global markets.

Mini is yet to announce details for its next-generation three-door Hatch, but it will be available with a range of powertrains, including internal combustion with mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric. It’s unclear what will power the JCW Hatch, but it’s likely to at least have some form of electrification.

In Australia, the cheapest JCW variant is the Mini three-door JCW Essential from $54,850 before on-road costs.

Power comes from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine delivering 170kW/320Nm. The Hatch and Clubman both drive the front wheels, but the Countryman JCW is all-wheel drive.

Under BMW ownership, Mini has used the JCW sub-brand on its models since the early 2000s, but the badge dates back to the early 1960s and takes the name of a famed British racecar driver.