The next-generation MINI may be smaller and electric. The new model is currently in development yet CEO Bernd Koerber says he would like to reduce the car’s size and make it fully electric by the beginning of the next decade.

In 2011, parent company BMW unveiled the Rocketman concept at the Geneva Motor Show, suggesting a forthcoming MINI city car driven by a range of three-cylinder engines. However, Koerber has stated that the company won’t simply revive that concept. He wants MINI’s next-generation core hatchback to return to the model’s roots in terms of size and structure.

In an exclusive interview with Auto Express at the Frankfurt Motor Show earlier this month, Koerber said that an electric MINI would allow the car to return to its original size. “I would love to see MINI move back to the essence of clever use of space,” he told AE. “That means the outer proportions on the core MINI Hatch could be reduced. I can see that happening. The benefit of electrification is that you don’t have to compromise on function. If you fit the battery wisely, you can go smaller but still offer functionality.”

Given that electric motors and battery packs can be packaged differently from standard petrol or diesel powertrains, battery-electric drivetrains afford more interior space within a smaller vehicle footprint. Therefore, MINI’s designers and engineers can create a smaller car without sacrificing cabin space. “We are in the process at the moment of looking into how we can make something that fits specifically the requirements of the small car segment,” Koerber said. “We have to see in the next few months what engineering and design can come up with as a solution.”

Koerber has confirmed that the next-generation MINI hatchback, due around 2022, will feature this solution. With the new all-electric MINI, the brand would join other small, design-oriented electric cars such as the Honda e and the all-electric Fiat 500. “In the next five to 10 years, power of choice will swing from combustion engine to electric. I would say MINI is one of the brands that will go faster and with higher priorities into electromobility,” Koerber said. “But you will see for several more years a parallel offering of combustion engines and electric drivetrains, as well as PHEV on the Countryman,” he added.

If MINI’s engineers succeed in making the next-generation hatchback smaller and all-electric, the current model may still be sold as another powertrain option. Fiat has promised this alternative when the next-generation 500 launches. Koerber says that current BMW architectures cannot house the car he has in mind, and that a new technical platform will be necessary to reduce the size of the MINI.

Last year, BMW Group and Chinese manufacturer Great Wall agreed to a joint venture that will produce new all-electric vehicles for each company at a newly factory in Jiangsu Province, China. Koerber, however, refused to confirm if this venture would result in the new MINI architecture. “This is a very early relationship, so we are still in the phase of sorting out who does what, what’s the target, what cars we are talking about, and what technologies we are talking about,” he said.

RELATED: David Brown Automotive Reveals Limited Edition High-Performance Mini Remastered

He added that the high-performance John Cooper Works (JCW) version of the next MINI is still planned. “We have to go and define JCW in an electrified context and era. But that’s possible, there’s no problem, no contradiction,” he said.