And it's finally here: today BMW representatives unveiled the first production MINI E, serial #1 of a run of 500, that will be leased to customers in the southern California and metro New York areas beginning in January, AutoblogGreen reports. The car features a torquey electric motor, and lacks the rear seat common to regular Mini Coopers due to the on-board lithium-ion batteries.

Dr. Friederich Eichiner presented the electric car to the press on the roof top terrace at the Beverly Wilshire hotel. "Individual mobility will still play a key role" going forward, he said; with increased urbanization, "electrically driven vehicles like this one will be increasingly important." The report said that the company plans to use the vehicles to learn how they're used and how they work in the real world, in an effort to reconcile the need for urban mobility with environmental concerns and the plug-in concept as a whole. Note: Stay tuned for our first drive report.