Mini has stopped production of manual cars entirely because of supply issues.
According to Autocar UK, suspending the production of all manual cars was a measure Mini took to “ensure production stability.”
Removing manual transmissions is also a way to simplify production, reducing costs.
Mini offers all of their models with a manual transmission. All except the Mini Electric, for obvious reasons.
There’s no word on whether this is a temporary pause or something more permanent.
Mini cited the Russia/Ukraine war as a significant reason behind the move.
They aren’t the only manufacturer to experience supply issues because of the war.
European output has dropped 9 per cent or roughly one million cars.
Even the more established carmakers, like Ford and General Motors, say new orders can take over a year to be produced on select models because of supply restraints.