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Mini exiting WRC after just one year

There was a fair bit of hullabaloo two years ago when Mini announced a return to the World Rally Championship for this season, but the road to making that happen has been as rocky as a gravel stage. It spent 2011 developing its JCW Countryman WRC challenger, changing its mind about how it wanted to work with Prodrive, dumped a driver due to budget issues, then registering its entry after the deadline had passed in a ploy that might or might not have been a protest aimed at the WRC promoter.
Mini had stated that it wanted to win the whole championship in 2013, and spent 2011 doing six WRC rounds as development. As it stands for this year, the WRC Team Mini Portugal - paid for by Mini, run by ProDrive - scored 26 points in the first rally at Monte Carlo and has so far blanked the rest of the season. The relationship between Mini and ProDrive appeared to be an ever-contentious affair, at the end of this season, even the money will dry up along with what support there was.
Because it contested every race in the calendar, though, Mini says it has completed the FIA requirements for homologation of the JCW Countryman WRC; meaning that privateers can continue purchasing the car and run it in the WRC. BMW Motorsport is continuing development and parts supply of the 1.6-liter turbo engine, and a report in Autosport indicates that ProDrive will continue to run Minis in the series next year.

Mini may not build electric cars in England due to Brexit

BMW will decide whether to build its new electric Mini in Britain or elsewhere by the end of September, its board member for sales told Reuters, in a test of the country's ability to continue to attract investment as it leaves the EU. Mini makes around 70 percent of its approximately 360,000 compact cars at its Oxford plant in southern England but the car industry is concerned about the effect any loss of unfettered access to the EU, its largest export market, could have on plants after Brexit. BMW is deciding between its English site, a plant in the Netherlands where it has built more of its conventional line-up in recent years, and its Germany plants at Leipzig and Regensburg for the new low-emissions variant. The firm's board member for sales told Reuters that the electric Mini investment, likely to be worth tens of millions of pounds, would come in the next three months and the board was currently considering a number of factors including Brexit. "One of the elements is what is the likelihood of a tax regime and if there's a tax regime, how would it apply," Ian Robertson said during an interview at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in southern England. "If you made the motor in a German plant and you then assembled the car in a British plant, and you took the cars back to the German market, then the duty that you would pay would be reclaimed," he said, in an example of the options companies are examining to plan for any duties or tariffs. The automaker is also looking into where the uptake of greener models is strongest and where the best supply chains are, he said. Britain could approve its first major electric battery hub in the next few weeks after officials in central England submitted proposals to ministers in May. But last month, the car industry issued its strongest warning yet on the need for politicians to strike a transitional Brexit deal after two-year talks to ensure unfettered trade is maintained. Uncertainty has also been heightened after a snap June 8 election which left Prime Minister Theresa May without a majority and has led to ministers in her administration hinting at different versions of Britain's likely post-Brexit future. Last year, May's administration helped secure two new models at Japanese carmaker Nissan's plant in the north of England after what a source said was a government promise of extra support to counter any loss of competitiveness caused by Brexit.

2020 Mini Cooper SE electric hatchback pricing, availability announced

The 2020 Mini Cooper SE electric hatchback now has a price and an on-sale date for America. The retail price including destination charge is $30,750 before any tax credits are applied. Seeing as other BMW electric cars still qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit, the Cooper SE should be available across the country for $23,250, and Mini says buyers in some states with additional incentives should be able to get one for under $20,000. It will be available in March 2020, and Mini said it will be offered across the country, implying that it may not be restricted to specific states like some other EV offerings. For comparison, a similarly potent gas-powered Mini Cooper S starts at $29,100, and a regular Mini Hardtop starts at $25,100. The Mini Cooper SE doesn't have a range estimate for the United States yet, but European estimates put it at 146 to 168 miles. We expect Mini's latest EV to have a shorter EPA-estimated range than the 150-mile, 40-kWh Nissan Leaf, which starts at $30,885 before incentives, and $23,385 after the $7,500 federal tax credit. The Leaf has more rear seat and cargo space plus more torque at 236 pound-feet, but the Mini has more power than the 147-horse Leaf. Whatever price you pay for your Mini Cooper SE, you'll get an electric motor that sends 181 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels. Mini says that will propel the car to 60 mph in 6.9 seconds on its way to a 93-mph top speed. The car's 32.6-kWh battery can fully charge in 4 hours on a Level 2 AC charger, and it can reach 80% charge in 35 minutes with a DC fast charger. Outside, the electric Mini has a unique blocked-off grille and standard 16-inch wheels. Inside, the SE gets a standard 6.5-inch infotainment screen with navigation and Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth connectivity, a leather steering wheel, leatherette upholstery, cruise control, heated front seats, automatic climate control, automatic windshield wipers and automatic emergency braking.