The Handbook Mini is Again

Consideration, lovers of sprightly, participating little vehicles: The world makes a bit of little bit of sense to you once more. Mini is as soon as once more promoting 6-speed handbook transmissions.

The corporate by no means meant to cease. However again in Could, provide chain issues pressured BMW’s Mini division to cease constructing stick-equipped vehicles.

The handbook transmission is a uncommon sighting lately. Almost 90% of automobiles on the market within the U.S. within the 2022 mannequin yr don’t even have one out there as an possibility. One latest report discovered that as few as 6% of vehicles are actually bought with a 3rd pedal.

However Mini has all the time bought the next proportion of manuals than most automakers. Mini’s vehicles, with their give attention to enjoyable dealing with over uncooked energy, enchantment to a sure kind of driver who loves having extra direct management over their automotive.

These drivers have an possibility once more. Mini says it’ll begin constructing 2-door hardtops with handbook transmissions subsequent month. That features sporty Cooper S and high-performance John Cooper Works fashions.

The stick might be out there solely on 2-door fashions for now. Mini hasn’t supplied an replace on when, or whether or not, the clutch pedal will return to the remainder of the lineup.

Mini lovers, nonetheless, ought to know they’ve a window of only a few years to purchase a handbook Cooper. BMW has introduced plans to make the model all-electric by 2030. Electrical vehicles lack transmissions altogether, although Jeep as soon as discovered a method round that drawback.