Project manager for the brand's first mass-production electric vehicle confirms high number of pre-orders well ahead of customer deliveries commencing in March next year.

The 2020 Mini Cooper SE has had a promising response from the buying public, with the BMW subsidiary reporting more than 45,000 expressions of interest for its first series production electric vehicle.

Speaking with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, project manager for the electric Mini, Elena Eder, said the company's decision to allow prospective buyers to secure a build slot with a small down payment "works", drawing upon the model implemented by Tesla.

"So far, we already have over 45,000 registered prospects," Eder told the publication.

Production of the Mini Cooper SE is scheduled to commence in Oxford, UK, on November 1 – ironically the same day Great Britain is expected to leave the European Union.