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Mini brings back the six-speed manual for certain 2023 trims

Mini has good news and some steep price increases for the 2023 model year, the cars available to buyers once production switches to the coming year in November. The good news for enthusiasts is the return of the manual transmission to more trims after a pause in deliveries caused by supply shortages. The six-speed manual becomes a standalone option on two-door Minis with hardtops, meaning the Cooper, Cooper S, and John Cooper Works variants. The bad news for enthusiasts who wanted to pair that gearbox with a base Mini Cooper Classic is that the Classic is gone. As other automakers are doing, Mini culled the entry-level trim for the new year, automatically raising the price of entry by a non-miniature amount. Product planners played a bunch of presto-change-o with standard features, packages and standalone options for various trims. For instance, the hardtop two-door Cooper, Cooper S and JCW in Signature guise get power folding mirrors and auto dimming rearview mirrors. The Cooper S and JCW in Iconic trim pick up Mini's Parking Assistant. On the other hand, the Cooper SE in Iconic trim loses the alarm system and active cruise control, while certain trims of the Countryman Cooper S and Cooper S All 4 drop the alarm system and dynamic damper control. If you're interested in a Mini, look closely at the small print about the feature set. The Resolute, Untold and Untamed special editions in Iconic 2.0 fettle expand their options menus. The Resolute adds Enigmatic Black Metallic as a primary body color with a Pepper White roof, or a Nanuq White body and roof. The carbon black Mini Yours Lounge Leather can be optioned for $750. The Untold expands availability from just the John Cooper Works Clubman to the Cooper S and Cooper S All4. Its exterior hues will now include Midnight Black Metallic with black spats. As for the Untamed, its paint palette adds Nanuq White, partnered with the standard black contrasting roof and mirrors, and graphics in Matte Bluestone. For all Mini Hardtops, Pepper White, White Silver and Moonwalk Grey body colors will retire at the end of October. Replacing them are Nanuq White, and Melting Silver III that becomes available throughout the range. Pricing goes way up for base versions now that the Classic is gone, with four-figure jumps on every trim compared to pricing Mini released in February of this year.

Mini could go even bigger with next Countryman

We recently reported that the new family of Minis could balloon from eight models to ten or more, but it's not only the model line that's expected to grow: so too could the largest model itself. That, of course, would be the Countryman, which is already bigger than anything else ever to wear the Mini badge. But if you think the current Countryman is already big enough, the latest reports suggest that it could get even bigger. Apparently parent company BMW feels a larger Mini crossover would better compete with more mainstream models in the marketplace.
The Countryman, however, will only be one of the new variants to spin off of the new third-generation Mini. Expect the new Hardtop hatchback introduced in LA to be followed by a new Cabriolet, Roadster, and Paceman. A five-door version of the base hatchback will also join in addition to the new Clubman, which is tipped to get a split tailgate instead of the single hinged aperture on the current model. The jury's still out on the Mini Coupe, which has largely failed to impress, while a convertible crossover could be back in the mix along with the rumored plug-in hybrid version.

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.