One of the latest casualties of the Covid-19 coronavirus is the name for the wheels on the MINI Cooper SE, it has been revealed by Inside EVs. The 17-inch wheel design for the fully electric hatchback was originally named Corona Spoke, though the unfortunate turn of events with the now-global pandemic forced the automaker’s hand in renaming it to Power Spoke.
The naming misadventure was apparently brought to the carmaker’s attention by a tweet from Tom Moloughney, who was reviewing the EV hatchback for Inside EVs. The name for the wheel has since been changed, a MINI spokesperson told the website.
“Although the name of this wheel design was in place a good time prior to the current pandemic, we’re making sure all marketing and consumer communications materials are being updated to reflect the new name of this wheel design. It’s simply the right thing to do,” the automaker said to Carbuzz in a separate communication.
The wheel design remains distinctive nonetheless, certainly setting the Cooper SE apart from its internal combustion engine-powered siblings. The MINI Cooper SE packs the same driveline as that in the BMW i3S, with 181 hp and 270 Nm of torque at its disposal, offering up to 270 km of range. The Cooper SE has also gone on sale in neighbouring Thailand at 2.29 million baht (RM304,422).
The Power Spoke name, and the wheel design itself, also makes for an elegant reference to the UK three-pin electrical socket, doesn’t it?
GALLERY: MINI Cooper SE
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so corona is powerrrr!!!
So Toyota Corona should be renamed as Toyota Covid19…
It’s still remain ugly anyway. Mercedes Vision EQS concept has the best-looking aerodynamic rims, so far.
rename it to wuhan spoke, in honour of the wuhan virus
not funny bro
nothing funny also. only you laughing.
Correct bro, that’s the correct name. Just like other viruses and illness named after a place like the west Nile virus, Ebola, MERS, Spanish flu, Zika, Marburg, Japanese Encephalitis, Norovirus, German measles, Omsk fever, Lyme disease, Ross fever…..
It’s not racist or xenophobic, it’s just commie Chinese propaganda to believe it is.
corona extra should sue the WHO for causing massive damage to their brands.
Toyota also, a hope for a new Toyota Corona is as good as dead
Gonna pity the Corona beer brand
good thing Toyota Corona stopped production already