MIAMI — Mini is preparing to launch the market's first premium electric vehicle to approach the $30,000 price threshold.

The Mini Cooper SE will start at $30,750, including shipping, when it lands in March. State and federal EV tax credits would knock the price down to as low as $18,750, depending on where the vehicle is sold.

Achieving that ambitious sticker price dictated many of the design and engineering decisions involved in developing the battery-powered product.

The company mandate was to make the SE look like and have the interior usability of the iconic Mini Hardtop two-door hatch, Christian Schmidt, head of subline electrification at Mini, told Automotive News during a press preview here.

"We were not heading for maximum differentiation from design," Schmidt said. "You have the same trunk space, you have the same seating capacity, everything is unchanged in the inside."

The exterior design also hews to that of the two-door Mini Hardtop, with a few tweaks to boost aerodynamics and meet crash-safety standards.

The body-in-white of the two models are nearly identical, except for the fueling/charge port, Schmidt said.

Since the battery-powered Cooper SE is nearly 320 pounds heavier than the combustion-engine-powered Hardtop, changes had to be made to the A-pillar and the door sill for safety reasons.

In the front, the SE trades an open grille for a mostly closed-off one. The undercarriage is mostly enclosed, and a diffuser in the rear helps direct airflow efficiently.

Meanwhile, a spoiler and redesigned side mirrors reduce wind resistance and help the SE achieve a 0.30 drag co-efficient.