MINI receives 45K reservations for all-electric Cooper SE

The number appears to outpace pre-orders for VW's ID.3.

MINI's all-electric Cooper SE appears to be attracting significant buyer interest since its July reveal.

The company has received 45,000 pre-orders for the EV, according to Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

"So far, we already have over 45,000 registered prospects," said project manager Elena Eder (via Google Translate).

The number appears to have outpaced the Volkswagen ID.3, which tallied 20,000 deposits in early June. Both VW and MINI's reservations are refundable, priced at £500 for the Cooper SE and £1000 for the ID.3.

MINI's first pure electric production car integrates a 32.6-kWh battery for a range of 134-145 miles according to the EU WLTP test cycle, with a starting price of £27,900 (~$33,650 USD) in the UK.

The ID.3 is positioned to compete more directly with longer-range EVs like the Tesla Model 3, with three different battery options starting at 205 miles of WLTP range and topping out at 342 miles. VW's pre-order program is for the '1ST' edition with a range of 261 miles. UK pricing has not yet been announced, though German buyers will pay "less than â'¬40,000" (~$44,700 USD) for the 1ST edition and "under â'¬30,000" (~$33,500 USD) for the base model that will arrive later.

MINI has not yet announced US pricing or an EPA range estimate for the Cooper SE, which will arrive first in UK showrooms by March 2020.