Manual take rates on certain models has been increasing and Mini was one of the few automakers helping to make that happen. The brand recently seemed to be embracing shifting your own gears with open arms. Sadly though that isn’t the case anymore.
The brand has confirmed that the next gen Mini won’t give buyers the option to row their own gears, Top Gear reports. Mini has had a real will they/won’t they relationship with the stick. Back in 2019 Mini announced that the manual would be returning to the U.S. Then 2020 rolled around and the manual dipped out again, something about fuel system testing issues. Then Mini announced that the manual would be coming back as standard on most of it’s models for the 2021 model year.
Then came 2022, and pandemic related supply chain issues caused Mini to kill manuals yet again. Then in late 2022, Mini announced it was opening a driving school to teach people how to drive stick; they even invited Jalopnik out to try it. This coincided with an announcement that manuals were coming back yet again on some 2023 models. Then earlier this year Mini announced that a few more of its models would be getting the stick option for 2024.
All that progress has been erased with the next-gen Mini. Speaking to Top Gear at a recent reveal event, Mini boss Stefanie Wurst confirmed that the new Mini won’t be coming with three pedals this time around. “We won’t have a manual unfortunately,” she said to Top Gear.
This in no way means performance is dead at Mini. Wurst says that a recent meeting with John Cooper’s grandson Charlie inspired her to have the brand continue to do stuff in motorsport and offer performance cars. She said the brand plans to get into electric motorsport.
He’s an entrepreneur and he’s into electric bikes. And with his heritage – being the carrier of the name – but then also being into electromobility, it’s the perfect bridge. So, we plan to go with him into electric motorsport as well.
With Mini planning to launch the next gen Cooper in the summer of 2024, and with more manuals coming for the new model year on the existing cars, you Mini fans that want to row your own gears better go out and get them while you can.