Mini Temporarily Stops Selling Manual Models on the US Market
Earlier this month, Toyota said that it has
problems with selling manual models at the US market. Shortly thereafter, Hyundai
came to the decision that it is economically unviable to continue production of
the manual Elantra version. And now, manuals make another step backward in the
competition with automatics, as Mini reported about temporary suspension of its
models equipped with manual gearboxes for the territory of the USA.
According to media sources, this measure was
taken due to the company’s lagging with calibration testing that is in progress
at the moment. In a month, Mini will cease importing cars equipped with manual
gearboxes across its entire range. The information was confirmed by official
Mini representatives in the US.
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But how long will it take to bring Minis with
gear sticks back on sale? If the abovementioned cause for sales suspension is
the only one problem, then it may take from 1 to 4 months to remedy the
situation. Mini officials, however, preferred to abstain from any predictions
on the manual Minis return to the American market.
Anyway, it is rumored that some Mini models will lose the manual option irretrievably. So far, there’s no info about the names of these models. On the other side, it is known for a fact that the Cooper and Cooper S models will soon get a DCT option. At the same time, the JCW Clubman and Countryman models will be equipped with an updated 8-speed automatic gearbox.
