DW Engine Africa visits the Mini Lovers club in Kenya. Can they imagine driving an electric Mini in the future? And, is the government in a position to make the switch to electromobility?
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00:00We embrace new technology.
00:22Electric.
00:23Absolutely not.
00:25I want to hear the sound of the engine at the front and the back of the car.
00:31It's efficient, it's available, it's cheaper probably.
00:34Very nice.
00:35Very nice.
00:36Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the land of Mini Coopers.
00:43I don't have a side mirror to drive this.
00:51Let's drive this.
00:54Oh my goodness!
00:57So this is a 1978 Mini Cooper.
01:01It has 1275cc, that's mostly here in Kenya we say 1300cc.
01:09A car that is so unusual compared with all the other cars around here.
01:20Let's go.
01:21Let's go.
01:22Let's go.
01:23Let's go.
01:24Let's go.
01:25They have a very big club here in Kenya called the Mini Coopers Club.
01:56Thank you so much for allowing me to drive in your car.
02:00Oh my goodness!
02:01Very nice.
02:06My car is 1.3 injection manual.
02:09This is a 1980 model.
02:12It runs smoothly.
02:14A litre gives me about 12-13 kilometres a litre.
02:17Awesome quick car.
02:20Oh my goodness!
02:23Now that's how you say your specs.
02:25That's why you're the chairman.
02:27My Mini is a 1976 Mini.
02:291.3, 1300cc capacity.
02:34It's very fast.
02:35I love it.
02:36I've been having it since 2010.
02:38I've been a fan of Mini Coopers from way back.
02:41Yes, it was my first car.
02:43So I used to own the old one.
02:45Then I upgraded to this.
02:47Wow, that's amazing.
02:48A first car as a Mini Cooper?
02:50Yes.
02:51Wow.
02:52Give me the specs of your car.
02:53So mine is a 2005 car.
02:54It's a Mini R50.
02:55Red in colour as you can see.
02:57And I love it very much.
02:59Hello, Minis!
03:19Hello, Mini Coopers!
03:25Are you guys convinced by the way you can move your car
03:29or you can change your car
03:31from the combustion engine to electrical?
03:37Oh, look at that.
03:39Wow.
03:40I hope you're seeing the...
03:42What is...
03:45Would you move from combustion engine to electric?
03:49Absolutely not.
03:51I want to hear the sound of the engine
03:53at the front and the back of the car.
03:55Okay, so who is convinced I give them 10,000 shillings?
03:58We are not convinced.
03:59We are not...
04:02Oh, that was a trick question.
04:04So if the government says
04:06that we are changing this in a year,
04:09what are you going to do?
04:10We'll close that bridge when we get there.
04:12You'll close that bridge when you get there?
04:14The only thing is...
04:16We'll drive them in Uganda.
04:18Oh, wow.
04:23We'll drive them in Uganda.
04:54Do you think that your members in the club
04:59or even you yourself
05:01will embrace the change about EVs,
05:05the change that is coming?
05:07With the changing times and technology,
05:09of course, over time, things fade, right?
05:11We embrace new technology.
05:13Why? Because it's efficient,
05:15it's available, it's cheaper probably.
05:17It will be a cheaper option to run your engine.
05:20And if you look at it,
05:22we are slowly getting there even as a country.
05:24You've seen EVs, buses, trucks and all that
05:26and it's coming in very fast.
05:28So if need be,
05:30and when that time comes,
05:32which I'm foreseeing is a very near future,
05:34we'll have to adapt, right?
05:36Because at that moment we'll not have parts available,
05:38you won't have, you know,
05:40maybe the mechanics that will fix these cars
05:42maybe will not be available.
05:44So that time you just have to move the trains.
05:46We'll have no choice.
05:47But as long as we keep our classic look
05:49and that classic look,
05:51I wouldn't mind, personally.