MINI USA Announces The Formation of the MINI Motoring Club and MTTS 2022

Today MINI USA announced the formation of the MINI Motoring Club. An idea so obvious it must have been tried before right? As a matter of fact 18 years ago your author sat on a conference call with the heads of the early MINI clubs talking about the same idea. It was to be be called MINICCA (MINI Car Club of America) and had a board, a plan and even visual identity. Yet it was never to be. Until today.
As part of the National Day of Motoring festivities, MINI USA has announced they are facilitating the creation of the first national MINI club in the United States called the MINI Motoring Club.
The details are still being formulated but the concept is simple; regional clubs supported by a national organization. Those regional clubs would host local events and support national events as well. And that last part is key as MINI USA gears up for MINI Takes the States 2022 Where the MMC will be a key part.
MINI Takes the States 2022 will look a lot like the 2020 planned event going from the beautiful city of Burlington Vermont and heading down the eastern part of the US to Spartanburg South Carolina. The event will culminate at the BMW and MINI Performance center.
Dates are also set in stone; July 9th through July 17th. Look for more details in the weeks ahead.
77 Comments
wait, what? MINI takes the states will go from Vermont to South Carolina? Holy 1776 Batman!
sharp looking paint scheme!
Wonder how the MINI SE will perform on this road trip…
MINI specifically says NOT to try and do it with a Cooper SE.
That being said, I planned it out a while back and it looks technically doable with the right planning. One might have to stay at a different hotel that has charging, for instance, or be off-schedule during the day, but it could be done.
Some of us never stopped!
In our house we have always waved. Be the better MINI owner.
?
How WTF day should look
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S_V7SYWAbdI?start=17" rel="nofollow ugc">https://www.youtube.com/embed/S_V7SYWAbdI?start=17</a>
I think that’s before he was a Mini owner.
Though does seem to be the way most mustang drivers wave.
We recently got our custom order 2022 JCW Countryman. I have ordered two minis previously and followed their progress, even able to track it in the factory at one point.
Unfortunately, most of that tracking ability is gone now. You are lucky if you can get a build week. No tracking in the factory anymore and they even block being able to track your VIN on a ship now so you have to guess which ship it might be on. Most of the fun is gone.
Luckily, we were able to get all the options we wanted before the chip shortage stopped some options availability.
We have owned 6 minis over the last 15 years, 3 of them custom ordered, two off the showroom floor and one 2012 Roadster we got used with very few miles on it in 2013…and still have it.
So this is the concept they want to advance and not the Superleggera or Rockman?
Go for it. Just don’t forget to deliver on the core of the brand too gentlemen. In fact, with more of these larger passenger / utility models coming, that should allow to you make the hardtop even more performance focused for the rest of us 😉
<a href="https://www.motoringfile.com/2021/07/16/next-generation-minis-will-not-be-all-electric/" rel="ugc">https://www.motoringfile.com/2021/07/16/next-generation-minis-will-not-be-all-electric/</a>
Please change the name to MINI Van or something less pretentious, make a tray based one called MINI truck or a commercial one called MINI lorry or at least make a MINI camper out of it with a pop up roof. Oh and please make a fully off road capable MINI Countryman.
If they build more than a very few of these, they will go down as a huge failure. These have ZERO to do with the Mini brand. It’s just a pet project of some woke designers. You want to sell some cars…release the Superleggera. There is nothing out there like it and everyone that sees it loves it. Just keep the price in a realistic range.
This concept does not see the light of day! I agree with John McLauchlan. A more performance based JCW for the 2 Door Hardtop is long over due. For MINI to keep up with the times they need the following: power / ventilated seats optional for all models, Standard Apple Car Play & Android Auto, blind spot monitor and real lane keep assist. My guess would be they will remedy this with the next gens coming out. If not the brand will lose a large portion of its customer base. The Clubman should be discontinued and a 200-300 plus mile range on the PHEV & BEV is imperative for its long-term success.
Has the ORA R1 been a consideration for a low cost city car MINI?
My understanding is that the R1 is an earlier version of the platform. BMW and GWM has collaborated on a brand new platform with much more tech and versatility I’m design.
The VW Golf sized ORA KAT (Good Cat) was launched in China on July 24, 2020, and is based on Great Wall Motor’s L.E.M.O.N. electric vehicle platform. The same scaleable platform underpins the WEY COFFEE 01, a full size PHEV SUV.
On the other hand, Spotlight Automotive, the 50:50 Joint Venture between BMW and GWM, created to R&D a range of all-electric small cars on an all-new platform, is currently in the process of building its all-new manufacturing plant on a greenfield site in China’s Jiangsu Province.
The all-electric G56 MINI Hatch will go on sale in 2023, the G55 5dr Crossover in 2024 and the G57 Convertible in 2025. A question mark hangs over the rumored G54 MINI Spaceman, aka MINI Urbanaut, aka “The MINI Clubman reinvented”, pencilled in for production in 2027 at the earliest.
The all-new G60 MINI Countryman will share the next generation BMW X1 re-engineered FAAR platform, including the all-electric version that will underpin the BMW iX1. The G60 Countryman will be built in BMW’s Leipzig Plant in Saxony, on what is currently the BMW i3 production line.
As a matter of interest, it has been confirmed that the MINI JCW GPE, effectively a “toned down” version of the MINI Pacesetter, has been given the green light for a limited production run, and will go on sale in the UK in January.
Hi do you know if the MINI JCW GPE will be available in USA and Canada?
Its a January 2022 release?
Thanks! Any spec of this mini?
The MINI Electric Pacesetter headed to Brooklyn in July this year, as the Official Safety Car for the 2021 ABB New York City E-Prix, and was the MINI Pacesetter’s U.S. debut. The Limited Production MINI Cooper JCW GPE is said to be a “toned down version” of the Electric Pacesetter.
The MINI Cooper JCW GPE is a vitally important model in that it will establish the necessary pedigree for future JCW Electric models. BMW has admitted that the JCW versions of the MINI are its most profitable, and it would be most surprising if MINI USA does not import its fair share of this Limited Edition model.
If anyone would like to DIY a similar classic Mini, check out Stevenson Motor Co. on YouTube. They have great tech tips and fun stuff on their YouTube channel and some choice items in their store. They’re based out of Canada, but don’t hold that against them.
The UK Government is proposing to outlaw the sale of all new ICE vehicles w.e.f. January 1, 2030, and zero emmision vehicles, including certain PHEVs by January 1, 2035. Car makers will, of course, need to have cleared all stock of ICE vehicles, or at least have pre-registered them, before those dates.
Fantastic! What a great way to celebrate the 60th Anniversary since the launch of the Mini Cooper in September 1961. In place of the single-carb 848cc engine and front drum brakes in the standard Mini launched in August 1959, the Mini Cooper was given a twin-carb 997cc engine and front disc brakes. Outrageous!
Mini’s creator, Alec Issigonis, was said to be unimpressed with the idea of a more sporting Mini, but changed his mind once the Mini started to win international rallies, and the Mini Cooper sold as fast as BMC could make the cars. The Cooper ‘S’ launched in 1963 with a 1275cc engine and larger disc brakes, soon earned the accolade “giant slayer”.
Love Matt Neal … what a great competitor and all-round good egg!
Following an exclusive interview with Oliver Heilmer at the recent Munich Auto Show, Autocar has today published its “scoop” story on MINI’s radical new line-up. Heilmer, more or less, confirmed what I have previously written, except that he omitted any mention of a new MINI Convertible, but went on to say that it is by no means a given that all the current MINI models will be replaced.
Heilmer did, however, say that the new MINI Hatchback “range” will be split into two distinct models: a petrol variant built in Oxford and based on a heavily updated version of the existing car’s UKL1 architecture; and a new electric version that will be “slightly shorter” and built in China only, on a dedicated EV platform as part of the joint venture with Great Wall Motor. Both are due in 2023.
The Chinese joint venture will also spawn a new electric MINI Crossover (about the size of the R60 Countryman) while the all new larger Countryman will be built in Germany on a revised FAAR platform shared with the all new BMW X1 and BMW iX1. Heilmer reiterated that another MINI model very much on BMW’s future wish list, is a radical new electric MPV influenced by the MINI Vision Urbanaut.
The tire is built into the wheel? Seems a hard sell. You’re either going to have expensive replacements when the tread wears down, or really cheap (ugly, heavy) wheels.
Also, they appear structurally strongest in the middle and weaker at the edges (unless the spoke stiffness isn’t uniform across the width of the tire). Aren’t traditional tires structurally stronger at the edges, with the side wall as a bolster? Without a sidewall, the driving dynamics could be wildly different than what we’re used to; I can’t imagine it would take corners as well as a traditional tire. Adding a sidewall might be a good idea anyway to keep mud and debris out of the spokes area.
I would assume a market for a new type of hubcap would pop up, bolting to the center of the new wheel/tire combo. If the tires are made in partnership with the brands, a specific Mini tire version that fits the styling could be available. I don;t care if they cost 2x current tires…if they last 2-3 times longer than current tires.
My biggest worry looking at these would be pranksters sticking things in the tire holes. You go to drive off and whatever they stuffed in there hits the wheel-well or frame of the car causing a lot of damage.
<blockquote>I would assume a market for a new type of hubcap would pop up</blockquote>Ew…
<blockquote>I don’t care if they cost 2x current tires…if they last 2-3 times longer than current tires.</blockquote>I think any claim of longer life is in the aggregate based on not having to throw tires out prematurely due to a poorly-placed puncture or sidewall damage. But the tread would probably wear just like any other tire.
Nice overall package. Was wondering when this would be released, following the announcement last July.
Curious why the decision to limit color to BRG? Rebel Green looked stunning in the original launch photos.
None of the next generation 2023 – 2030 MINIs will be larger than the all-new FAAR platform MINI Countryman SUV.
To qualify for a ‘MINI’ badge, the Countryman will be slightly smaller than its sibling, the FAAR platform BMW X1 SUV.
Thank you for picking up this story Gabe. The UKL1/UKL2 platform was highly sophisticated at launch and evidently still has some life left in it. The FAAR platform is, after all, a reworked UKL2 platform, which is scaleable upwards but unfortunately not downwards. Not doubt BMW’s engineers will have been reworking the UKL1 platform, to ensure that the next generation ICE MINI 3-door Hatch remains competitive until 2030.
We’ve written about it before based on our sources. However the details are now on the table and confirmed from those same sources..
Thanks Gabe, I noticed that.
Importantly, the MINI 3-dr Hatch is the core MINI model, and Oxford is the spiritual home of MINI. With the all-electric MINI models to be built in the Jiangsu Province in China, and the next generation Countryman to be built in BMW’s Plant in Leipzig in Germany, BMW ultimately considered that it was essential to keep the Oxford Plant going. This is a clever way to achieve that. I’m impressed!
Oliver Heilmer, Head of MINI Design, in his recent exclusive interview with Autocar at the Munich Autoshow, said that there would be a maximum of five MINI models in the fourth generation of MINIs.
So, we now know that two MINI BEV models will be built in China in the 50:50 joint venture with GWM, and that the all-new G60 Countryman, sharing its updated FAAR platform with the all-new BMW X1 SUV, will be built in Germany.
We also now know that the F56, the iconic MINI 2dr ICE Hardtop, will be replaced with the G56 MINI 2-dr ICE powered Hardtop, built on a re-engineered UKL1 platform in Plant Oxford in the UK. So, what about the fifth model?
MINI’s boss, Bernd Körber, on the record said that the F57 MINI Convertible has such a loyal following, especially in the US, UK and Germany, an updated MINI Convertible will continue in production until the end of the decade.
PLANT ZHANGJIAGANG CHINA:
G?? MINI 2dr Hardtop BEV
G?? MINI Crossover BEV
PLANT LEIPZIG GERMANY:
G60 MINI Countryman ICE, Hybrid, BEV
PLANT OXFORD UK:
G56 MINI 2dr Hardtop ICE
G57 MINI 2dr Convertible ICE, BEV
When they’re quoting 0-31 mph (0-50 km/h) times, you know the 0-60 mph isn’t very good. I mean, that 0-50 km/h time is about the same as the 0-60 km/h time of the existing Cooper Electric, and you know it won’t get better on the 2nd half of the trip up the speedometer.
Hope they offer the last ICE manual jcw
<blockquote>This will allow for cost savings as BMW launches the parallel all electric MINI hatch designed on a completely separate platform and built in China by Great Wall Motors.</blockquote>
No BEV hardtops made in Oxford? At one point, I thought there was talk about the Chinese-made BEVs being closer to Rocketman, so there might still be some “regular size” Hardtop BEVs made in Oxford.
Should we expect they will go back to building the BEVs in Oxford when MINI becomes all EV? Or will Oxford just close up shop?
<blockquote>Rumors point to the manual going away in many if not all variants.</blockquote>
So, the gas cars likely won’t have manuals and the BEVs will be badge engineered Chinese Ora Cats? I know there’s always a lot of “these won’t be real MINIs anymore” with every new generation, but maybe it’s actually true this time.
The Rocketman was a bit of wishful thinking. MINI is sizing down aspects of both cars from what we hear but nothing dramatic.
The ICE cars will likely have manuals for a few years longer. The BEVs will be designed on a shared platform and will share components with either the Ora Cat or a similar product from GWM.
Driving will be in the believing. BMW hasn’t become one of the most successful car companies on the planet by making products people don’t want to drive. We’d be willing to bet there will be some pretty compelling products coming out of the MINI brand this decade.
Thanks for the response.
<blockquote>BMW hasn’t become one of the most successful car companies on the planet by making products people don’t want to drive.</blockquote>
They’re not really defined by their enthusiast vehicles, anymore, though, which is the appeal of MINI, at least for me.
Like BMW, maybe MINI could be financially successful building a bunch of automatic Countryman, Countryman XL, and Countryman XXL and coupe versions of each (Paceman XXL?) and see a huge increase in sales, but that’s not what draws me to MINI.
From my perspective, there are two things I’m interested in: Manual transmission cars that offer a unique/rewarding driving experience, or BEVs. Properly spec’d BEVs are just plain better than gas for normal use except for the niche of manual performance cars focused on driver engagement… and perhaps a small handful of performance cars with great “automatics” like a Cayman GT4 with a PDK. Outside that, automatic, gas-powered vehicles are just the worst of both worlds.
So, automatic gas MINIs and badge-engineered Chinese BEVs are not giving me lots of hope for the future of MINI as far as what I personally have loved about MINI. Doesn’t mean they won’t be successful. Lots of enthusiasts complaining about BMW for years and they’re successful.
I hope they’re successful and that they drive great, but I’m not buying an automatic, gas anything ever again, and I don’t know if the BEV can be good enough to justify buying a car from China. Not from a quality standpoint, but more of a supporting a currently genocidal government when there are competitive options standpoint. Hopefully the manuals hang on for a while and BEV production returns to Oxford when the ICE engines are retired.
<i>So, automatic gas MINIs and badge-engineered Chinese BEVs are not giving me lots of hope for the future of MINI as far as what I personally have loved about MINI. Doesn’t mean they won’t be successful. Lots of enthusiasts complaining about BMW for years and they’resuccessful</i>.
For one the Chinese are now the most capable on the planet at electric vehicles because of the amount they have had to produce due to government mandates. Not bad partners. Second the engineering of the driving experience is being done by BMW in Europe. So BMW is investing in a world class skateboard chassis and electric platform that and creating the driving experience as they always would.
I love all the things you list above and I am absolutely going to buy one of the last manual MINIs sold. But I’m also well aware of how game changing a great electrified experience can be and can’t wait for what’s to come.
<blockquote>For one the Chinese are now the most capable on the planet at electric vehicles because of the amount they have had to produce due to government mandates. Not bad partners.</blockquote>
I mean, I would argue Tesla, an American company, is the world leader, but I certainly don’t disagree that there are some Chinese companies building good EVs. As noted, the likelihood of buying a Chinese EV is “not from a quality standpoint, but more of a supporting a currently genocidal government when there are competitive options standpoint.”
<blockquote>Second the engineering of the driving experience is being done by BMW in Europe. So BMW is investing in a world class skateboard chassis and electric platform that and creating the driving experience as they always would.</blockquote>
I expect it will still be a good car, and given it’s size, probably drive pretty well, too. I’ll certainly test drive one, and I hope BMW tunes it to drive in a way that’s MINI-like.
<blockquote>I love all the things you list above and I am absolutely going to buy one of the last manual MINIs sold. But I’m also well aware of how game changing a great electrified experience can be and can’t wait for what’s to come.</blockquote>
Agreed. I’ll probably hang onto one of my manual MINIs for a long time at this point, but I’m absolutely on board with BEVs. I’ve owned 3 BMW EVs, and had a reservation for a Cooper SE, but held off because we like to do MOTD and MTTS type trips with our MINIs and the Cooper SE isn’t really designed for a 10-hour drive (plus charging) with kids to get to the Dragon.
But I’ll probably skip this whole generation of MINIs if there are limited manuals and it’s kind of F56 2.0 anyway. We already have a low-mile, Ice Blue, manual F56 that we love. I don’t see myself buying any more gas cars… but I’m still sad to see them go. And if there are only Chinese-made BEVs for this gen, I’ll probably wait and hope that the next gen brings BEV production back to Oxford when the gas cars are retired.
I’m not saying they’re making bad overall business decisions by limiting manuals and teaming up with GWM, necessarily, but fewer manuals and Chinese-built BEVs isn’t the right direction for me and it sounds more like bean-counter compromises than trying to build more nimble, unique MINIs that drew me to the brand.
<blockquote>I would argue Tesla, an American company, is the world leader [at building electric vehicles]</blockquote>Working with the Chinese on a car makes me worry about build quality… but not as much as working with Tesla would.
It’s easily arguable but the sheer scale of electric cars produced in China and the technology offered is pretty incredible.
Quality is one thing often cited about the downside to Chinese cars. But things have changed rapidly over the last ten years. They are now the manufacturing center of the world making everything from iPhones and luxury cars (BMWs have been produced there for over a decade). Time will tell.
A lot of cheap junk also comes out of China. It’s not fair to the Chinese outfits that do things well, but that general reputation has painted everyone with a broad brush, I think.
Apparently, the Chinese Tesla build quality is substantially better than the US-built Teslas. I expect the same from the upcoming ground-up plants, too. That said, I wouldn’t pick either Tesla nor a Chinese manufacturer if that was my main goal. But if someone wants a partner with vast experience building world-class BEVs, Tesla is certainly above GWM and arguably everyone else.
One key data point that blew my mind: there are over 300 electric automakers in China today. Sure not all are great and likely very few are excellent, but the sheer quantity, competitiveness and drive to innovate is unlike anywhere in the world.
Yeah, China as a country are definitely more “all-in” on electric than the US, for instance. I think I read recently that even the Chinese government is like : “Come on guys, this is getting ridiculous with the number of EV manufacturers.” Most of those are going to fail. 300 is a ridiculous number. But I agree they have an incredible amount of resources going toward EVs, now.
It’s telling that no one can put a definite number on how many EV makers there are in China today. Estimates suggest 300 but no one actually knows. The speed and scale of investment as firms pile in to profit from the world’s largest car market’s singular focus on reducing its oil dependency, is such that the scene is changing too fast for onlookers to keep up.
The feeling is that the boom is peaking, with the Chinese state now stepping in. Last month, Xiao Yaqing, Minister for Industry and IT, declared: “We have too many EV firms on the market right now. We encourage merger and restructuring efforts in the EV sector.” The share prices of even the top 10 EV makers there, wobbled in the wake of those comments!
I am not a fan of the F56 but I really like how they are utilizing the heritage aspects in this edition.
I reckon that BMW owns the old Cooper logo?
If so then they should be taking full advantage — I’d deffo but a t-shirt with that old logo.
Speaking of which, why don’t they heritage it all up and offer some mk.1 JCW logo stuff? There’s a big audience, myself included, that is highly enthused about old logo JCW stuff but MINI has seemingly abandoned us and could care less about cultivating the favor of hardcore enthusiasts.
MINI GENERATIONS 2001 – 2025:
Ist Generation: Oxford England
R50 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2-door
R52 MINI Cooper Convertible 2-door
R53 MINI Cooper S 2-door
2nd Generation wef 2007: Oxford + Austria
R55 MINI Clubman 5-door
R56 MINI Hardtop 2-door
R57 MINI Convertible 2-door
R58 MINI Coupe 2-door
R59 MINI Roadster 2-door
R60 MINI Countryman SUV 5-door (Magna Steyr) *
R61 MINI Paceman Crossover 3-door (Magna Steyr)
3rd Generation wef 2014: Oxford + Netherlands
F54 MINI Clubman 6-door
F55 MINI Hardtop 4-door
F56 MINI Hardtop 2-door
F57 MINI Convertible 2-door (VDL NedCar)
F60 MINI Countryman SUV 5-door (VDL NedCar) *
4th Generation wef 2023: China + England + Germany
G?? MINI City Car 2-door – BEV (China)
G?? MINI Crossover 4-door – BEV (China)
G56 MINI Hardtop 2-door – ICE (Oxford)
G57 MINI Convertible 2-door – ICE, BEV (Oxford)
G60 MINI Countryman 5-door – ICE, HEV, BEV (Leipzig)
N.B. The Countryman has never been built in the UK.
CKD assembly: India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia.
** CKD assembly: India, Malaysia.
I think this prototype airless tire would need a sidewall just to keep accumulated road debris, mud, and snow from accumulating within the spokes and causing potentially significant out of balance conditions. Besides all the advantages mentioned in the review, such a tire would eliminate the need for electronic tire pressure monitoring sensors (TPMS) and their related chip based diagnostic systems.
According to the Hindustan Times this week, the MINI Cooper SE is shortly to go on sale in India, and will be the BMW Group’s first all-electric vehicle for the Indian Market, and the most affordable luxury all-electric car in India.
It will initially be exported to India in CBU (complete built up), but if customer demand is sufficient, it could be exported in CKD (complete knocked down) and assembled locally in BMW India Group’s manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu.
The MINI Cooper SE officially went on sale in India on October 29, 2021. The entire first allocation sold out within two hours.
2023 Countryman spy photos at Autoblog — they didn’t name their source
<a href="https://www.autoblog.com/2021/10/28/2023-mini-countryman-spy-shots/" rel="nofollow ugc">https://www.autoblog.com/2021/10/28/2023-mini-countryman-spy-shots/</a> <a href="https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/40b659a4879af2e12321d58066c3e9a6e4033ff980b1cf8c3e241520fc1c07b8.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc">https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/40b659a4879af2e12321d58066c3e9a6e4033ff980b1cf8c3e241520fc1c07b8.jpg</a>
I’m watching a video (Late Break Show) on the Ora Cat now. Honestly that car looks great, he keeps comparing the car to a MINI which is interesting. But the performance and range just don’t impress, nor does the charging speed. I’m actually excited about electric cars but apprehensive as I’m someone who travels to rural Michigan where charging isn’t plentiful and I can drive for 300 miles for fun in a day – that’s not going to be as much fun if it’s full of worry about charge. And 0-60 in nearly 9 seconds…..this isn’t inspiring. The MINI SE for sale now smokes it. Front drive in an EV is also worrisome, i know MINI’s are primarily front drive but in an EV the option to power the rear wheels or all of them seems more attractive.
I’m hoping challengers to Tesla arrise. Tesla’s cars are generally good, and the companies commitment to building out charging infrastructure is commendable. But I’m not thrilled with the company in general all the time. Full Self Driving is outrageous and needs serious government regulation.
Are those 17″ wheels? The low profile looks it, but they look narrower than past 17″ tire sizes.
The proportions of the car look interresting. I’m surely going to miss the actual mirrors placement and the clam shell bonnet. It made it easier to access the engine bay. Love the grill design and the shape of the headlight design
Overall proportions look better, with less front overhang. The front end still looks a bit too bulbous but that could be the camo and the fake paste on lights. I had hoped that the electric version could go back to the R-era look with lower hoodline and more pronounced fenders, but I am definitely encouraged.
This looks good 🙂 proportions look on point, everything seems nicely modernized. Really happy with the care put into it. Will likely sell a lot if the price is right. I need an EV for my daily commute while my r53 waits for weekends lol. Now the question is… will it fit my two teenagers? Can I get away with owning two MINIs? 😉 Also, I wonder if that is a round center display… seems to be rising in the center and dipping in the corners…
There appears to be a big problem looming for MINI USA Dealers regarding the new all-electric MINI 2-dr Hatch: the vehicle will be made in China and will, therefore, have a 27.5% import tariff applied to it!
To get around this issue, MINI expects its US dealers to help shoulder some of that import duty. According to a report from Automotive News citing a dealer briefed on the matter, the BMW Group-owned automaker is asking retailers to accept a 3% cut in their profit margin.
The cut would come out of the 6% “trade margin” dealers get as the difference between a vehicle’s invoice and its sticker price. MINI has told dealers that it would lose money bringing the car to the US if they did not accept this margin reduction. According to MINI of the Americas vice president Michael Peyton, the tariff issue is a “big deal.”
Michael Peyton said, “I’ve told the dealers we need to figure out how to make it happen. It’s a shared pain that we both have to endure to get through this.
Unsurprisingly, some retailers are opposed to the plan, with one dealer saying that MINI is “posturing to erode margins” and “the dealer body will fight it tooth and nail.”
Or don’t make the car in China
Liking what I’m seeing but the plan to have 2 Mini’s with the same styling draped over 2 separate cars (one electric model and one larger ICE model based on the existing platform) sounds odd. Also I question the desirability of a Chinese made car and would appreciate some longer term thinking when it comes of Plant Oxford given it will now be making what seems a legacy model.
“The best laid plans of mice and men”. When BMW signed up to a 50:50 Joint Venture with Great Wall Motor to build all electric MINIs in China, presumably neither would have been aware at the time that the US would subsequently impose such a high import tariff. It’s the unexpected in life that catches us out!
I agree with you; why not build the new MINI EV in Plant Oxford for export to the US. The production line there is designed, like all BMW Group production lines, to have that flexibility. Plant Oxford currently builds the F54 Clubman, F55 4dr Hardtop and F56 2dr Hardtop including the all electric Cooper SE, all on the same production line at random.
I’ve been told that BMW is committed to making it accessible in the US. Also a lot could change in the next couple of years regarding that tariff.
Thank you for that Gabe. Let’s hope so.
Thanks for the detailed analysis, very insightful. Agree with other comments that the proportions look promising.
There is a problem with the hood shut line! It’ll be in the middle of nowhere, instead of the hood ending just at the top of the grille.
This is something that BMW has done wrong in their recent FWD wars…and it ruins the front design.
The quad exhaust tailpipes are interesting: <a href="https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1bb33869a45d79a436fafc285141df893264f569f49971eaf8ac8f5376a689f8.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc">https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1bb33869a45d79a436fafc285141df893264f569f49971eaf8ac8f5376a689f8.jpg</a>
We’ve also seen a X1 mule with the same treatment.
‘BMWBLOG’, who are usually spot on when it comes to information regarding future products from BMW, are positive that the forthcoming new BMW X1, the firm’s smallest crossover, will not be getting the full-fat M treatment. Citing “a very good source,” the magazine is certain “there is absolutely no X1 M in the works.”
An updated version of the article claims to decipher the mystery of the quad exhaust model – it’s an M135i version. That is to say, it will be fitted with the 2.0litre four cylinder twin turbocharged engine, developing 302 HP and 332 LB-FT Torque. In the next generation MINI Countryman, that engine is likely to be fitted to the JCW version.
Yeah we’ve chatted about this and I think that’s right. We spoke about the same thing on BimmerFile. Typically four exhaust tips are scared M territory. However with electrification I expect that they’re less worried about that as a calling card and we’ll start to see it on other BMW and MINI products. However I actually believe what the quad exhausts mean is the M Performance X1 M40i and JCW Countryman
My local MINI dealer closed, leaving me with the next nearest one 45 minutes away. It would be delightful if the local BMW dealer (that’s still there) would be allowed to service MINIs.
They haven’t already cut customization enough? Customization is already a shell of what it used to be. Soon it will just be like a Honda where you just chose the model, one of 3 trim levels, and the color. The end.
This make sense, but I still hate it. I loved MINI because of all the customization that was available. But some things just make sense. Why not build ALL cars with sunroofs and heated seats, you eliminate tooling for 2 roofs and building seats differently. If they could offer those things more cheaply by doing that why not do that. If you made the car BETTER by doing so even better. However I haven’t seen that done, its normally in the name of cheapness not better for the company and for the buyer.
Tesla only offers an all-glass roof on their cars. There was supposed to be an all-metal roof option on the cheapest Model 3, but it ended up not making sense to make a new design for just the cheapest version. There was also supposed to be a cheaper interior. Didn’t happen.
So, now, basically every Model 3 looks exactly the same inside and out, besides 2 interior color options, and 5 exterior point options, and 3 wheel options. The end. I like Tesla, and obviously they’re being successful, but I agree with you: I hate it. I don’t want to see 3 cars per day identical to mine. With my MINIs, that will never happen… even at a huge MINI event!
I have a Cooper SE as my only roadworthy vehicle at present, and I do not have 240V home charging fitted, and I live in a cold northern climate. Does that make me weird?
I charge at work, or make a destination out of it, for example putting the car on charge and taking off for a walk or a bike ride.
In the summer I was getting around 135 miles from to-the-brim full to “you shouldn’t do this to the batteries” empty, not that I ever did that.
The most difficult part of driving is navigating that oh-so-touchy throttle mapping to a point where you are truly coasting. The power meter on the instrument panel is not precise enough; I have to use the instantaneous energy consumption display and hold the pedal where it reads 20.0 mi/kWh.
I use the full regen setting except on motorways when full deceleration is not the nicest thing you could do to the traffic stream behind you.
I will charge to around 90% on a commercial station, then top off in the garage overnight off the wall plug. That maximizes the bang for the buck at a level 3 charger (the nearest one to me charges by the minute) and also likely prolongs the battery life. Or if I’m at work, I will leave him feeding until full, if it’s a freebie. I am grateful to have free level 2s near work.
My commute is all of seven miles. The car would be unnecessary if the local transit system didn’t suck.