EPA Certification Delays Delivery of 2015 F56 MINIs in the US
We’ve held off reporting until we had all the facts. But it makes the reality no less disappointing to would-be owners. Due to the EPA certification of 2015 F56 models, MINI USA is targeting 10/1 as the deliver date for model year ’15 F56 MINIs.
What’s the deal with the delay of a car that hasn’t even changed (outside of auto-climate control becoming standard)?
Unfortunately this is the way the EPA does business. Every car must be certified every year for sale the US. There are whispers that the cars could be released to dealers sooner to October 1 but MINI USA isn’t promising anything given that this delay is 100% out of their hands.
The good news is that there is a healthy amount of 2014 models that were produced in June on the way to dealers now.
We’ll have more via an official statement soon.
<p>This won’t do sales numbers any good…..and I can foresee a glut of 15’s sitting on lots after they get released (maybe a deal on a 15 when the 16’s come around who knows). I feel bad for those waiting on cars though.</p>
<p>Sigh. This has been such an awful launch. First the 2014’s were delayed and then only had a few months production year. Now the 2015’s are delayed. I don’t remember them having these kind of issues with the 1st and 2nd gen, so what’s different?! I’m just glad I decided to not get an F56, or I would be sorely disappointed in these delays.</p>
<p>If certification has to happen every year, why didn’t MINI build in some lead time to get the 2015’s certified to keep the pipeline flowing? There’s going to be many dealers without product to sell and upset Motorers having to wait at minimum, double the normal build-to-order time of 6-8 weeks on the East Coast. Was someone asleep at the wheel?</p>
<p>The Title of this piece seems completely ass backwards. The EPA is not the cause of any “delay” with the 15’s sale. Rather, MINI is the cause…they apparently forget to do something or factor in sufficient government review time.</p>
<p>The title is based on the information we have from MINI and the EPA – clearly stating that the delay is with the EPA.</p>
<p>Gabe: thanks for the reply.</p>
<p>But why is this site always so “pro” MINI? Look, I love my R52 and am about to buy a F55 come this winter. But to love something doesn’t mean one is forced to always turn a blind eye. Motoringfile should aspire to be more than just a puff outlet for MINI corporate.</p>
<p>Here, in this article, did the EPA do something new that it had failed to communicate to MINI and other auto manufacturers? Either the answer to that is yes, and your article is on point, or the answer is no, and the cause of the problem is therefore MINI’s. It’s a simple choice, so it seems.</p>
<p>How is it pro-MINI if we’re reporting what we know from two sources?</p>
<p>stop avoiding the question at hand</p>
<p>I don’t know whose fault it is and I realize you don’t really go into the cause of the delay but wording such as ‘the delay is 100% out of MINI’s hands’ makes it sound that it couldn’t be MINI’s fault.</p>
<p>Also, the negative language towards the EPA (Unfortunately this is the way the EPA does business) infers that it is something that the EPA has done.</p>
<p>This may well be the case and it could be 100% the EPAs fault if there was no way that MINI could have known this was going to happen and couldn’t have prepared for it, but the article comes across as if there is no way MINI could be blamed at all.</p>
<p>As the article doesn’t really present alternative theories that put any amount of blame on MINI, this is why it might be seen by some as pro-MINI.</p>
<p>This is what we’ve heard. As we mentioned official information is forthcoming. However based on what we know we presented the above.</p>
<p>Having dealt with this on the BMW side (again this was the EPA’s fault for being delayed) I can tell you MINI isn’t the only brand dealing with this issue.</p>
<p>BMW is part of Mini, I agree with KLF23, this is totally a Mini issue. I have purchased a 2015, I live in Germany (military), finalized the loan, made one payment already, registered and insured it, all to be told – sorry we cannot release it to you. I will never buy a Mini ever, again. If Mini would buy it back, I would walk away. Oct 1, maybe a new release date, terrible. Maybe all many factors ought to blame another agency for their mistake, how about taking responsibility no matter what for your product and consider compensating your customers for their troubles. Oh, that would be a true customer based company, that might survive their mistakes!</p>
<p>On a side note ….. is it me or is the MCS in that photo missing the ‘under bite’/chin that we’ve all come to hate? Perhaps that slight angle makes it disappear?</p>
<p>It looks awesome. I’ve never seen a picture of any MINI that personified the “bulldog stance” better than the above photo.</p>
<p>LMAO. NEVER SEEN ANYTHING Better than above picture? Oh lord.</p>
<p>The word “anything” isn’t even in my post. I’ll elaborate since my simple statement was apparently confusing:</p>
<p>That photo of the F56, at a slightly elevated profile angle, at that focal length, with those great cone spoke 18″ wheels, parked on a decline, really captures the MINI bulldog stance in the perfect way in my opinion.</p>
<p>And if you’ve seen a photo of a MINI that captures that bulldog stance even better for you then that’s really great, what a fantastic thing you have achieved.</p>
<p>I’m probably in the minority here… but I’ve never seen a “bulldog” likeness in a MINI.</p>
<p>The bulldog stance usually is best seen from 3/4 front or rear angle. Combination of squat proportions and wheels pushed to the corners. None of which can be seen from the side.</p>
<p>I like this angle for how the hips (haunches maybe?) look. I’ve always liked how the 1994 to current Mustang has had those powerful looking hips/rear quarter panels, the F56 has a bit of that. It says sports car to me. Kind of like the difference between a first generation Miata and a BMW Z3, the latter looks like a drivers car.</p>
<p>Hips don’t lie</p>
<p>I don’t think that’s an MCS.</p>
<p>That’s an MCS</p>
<p>Yeah, it looks great. Unfortunately it would be hard to drive at this angle all the time.</p>
<p>It’s just a matter of “believing” you are driving at that angle. Then nothing else will matter.</p>
<p>I was wondering the same thing, but I believe it’s just the angle and shadows that hides the underbite</p>
<p>My MCS has been sitting there two weeks now so I’m definitely feeling this one.</p>
<p>You state above that, “Every car must be certified every year for sale”. That doesn’t sound like an EPA problem. It sounds like MINI should be been planning or at least aware this was coming. It’s a very frustrating situation and it seems like they are being very slow to communicate.</p>
<p>The bigger question is what changed to make the EPA revise their findings? Nothing at all changed between ’14 and ’15 and everyone I’ve talked to (myself included) has been getting above the original stated mileage</p>
<p>For the person(s) responsible for this delay at MINIUSA and/or the EPA, can they please explain to all of us Motoring Advisors whom work on 100% commission, who’s going to help pay our mortgages and car payments since we will be unable to sell any cars due to not having any actual cars to sell. You incompetence as a brand is wearing a little thin.</p>
<p>Well, start pushing those other models – sell, sell, sell!</p>
<p>If the other models were as competitive as the F56, that would be easy. But they aren’t. Right now the F56 and Countryman are carrying the entire model line.</p>
<p>Well, if it were easy, they wouldn’t call it work…</p>
<p>Trust me, if you are thinking of buying a 2015 – the EPA is doing you all a huge favor… ;^)</p>
<p>I am in the same boat – My 2015 MCS lands in port Hueneme on August 7. I was so excited that I was going to take possession on August 15th – But now I must wait.. MINI has been in contact with me and promised me that they are doing everything they can to get the car to my Dealership as quickly as possible. They will make it right, but it doesn’t mean it does not sucks either…</p>
<p>This is not the first time this has happened to a brand, it usually is not the brand at fault. Since all of the budget cuts the EPA is well under staffed and misses timelines regularly.</p>
<p>The EPA does not test every car model but looks over the data and then will run a few models through the test cycle to verify the information- with the inordinate number of other brands having EPA issues it would not be surprising to have them behind schedule or even pull more models that usual.</p>
<p>2015 BMWs were briefly delayed as well…..</p>
<p>The new B46 is SULEV (B48 is the 2014 Cooper S engine, B46 is the 2015 Cooper S engine) which is most likely the cause of the EPA holdup with the Cooper S models. Not sure about the Cooper.</p>
<p>What’s the difference between the two?</p>
<p>the real reason the 15’s are delayed is because the cars MINI gave to the EPA for testing had euro spec tires. Don’t blame the EPA or cutbacks.</p>
<p>Do you have a source for this information?</p>
<p>Of course not. It’s the internet, anything goes!</p>
<p>The folks at Mini USA are really taking their time with the official announcement about the delay. For those of us waiting for our cars it makes it extremely difficult to make plans.</p>
<p>This makes me so angry. I should be driving around in my new F56 right now, but I have to wait to months AFTER IT gets to the US. That iis twice as long sitting a couple hours from me as it took to build and ship from the UK.</p>
<p>The official statement that was coming soon has now become later ;)</p>
<p>Here is the official Letter that was sent to me</p>
<p>I’m with you all. This was my first Mini order and I was so excited to pick it up this month – all just the way I ordered it. Now I have to wait until October (if nothing else happens). I’m so disappointed. It certainly makes for a bad first impression. I would have ordered a 2014 months ago, but I needed the roof rails which weren’t available until the 2015 model. Delay-delay-delay. I still like the Mini, but I can’t wait forever.</p>