Second electric Mini in the works?

The model will be designed exclusively for the Chinese market.

BMW's Mini division will introduce its first volume-produced electric car next year. The company will keep the momentum going by launching a second battery-powered model, according to a British report, but we might not see it in the United States.

Previewed by a concept (pictured), the brand's first EV will be based on the two-door Hardtop. Production will take place somewhere in Europe, which inevitably makes selling it in China an achingly expensive proposition. And yet, Mini badly needs to go electric on the Chinese market to comply with strict regulations looming on the horizon.

The brand's answer is to design a second electric car, according to British magazine Auto Express. The magazine adds the model will be completely different than what we'll see in America next year, meaning Mini won't simply play the copy-paste game. It might be based on an older model (like the second-generation Hardtop), it might be an electric variant of another car (like the Countryman), or it could be something else entirely.

Mini's yet-unnamed second electric car will allegedly be built locally through a joint-venture between BMW and Great Wall Motor. If the report is accurate, it sheds light into earlier rumors claiming Mini will build cars in China and suggests the EVs will trickle into the local market only, not Europe or North America.

BMW hasn't commented on the rumor.