Doylestown Auto Repair

Mini USA will temporarily stop importing manual transmissions

Audi Repair Shop Doylestown
Call 267 279 9477 to schedule a appointment

Emissions certification woes strike again

, this time at Mini. The U.S. arm of Blighty’s iconic car company has had to temporarily put a stop to importing any models with manual transmissions beginning with July production, which is when

BMW

typically begins rolling the new model year down assembly lines.

According to MotoringFile

, calibration testing for the six-speed manual is taking longer than expected.

The outlet guesses the interruption will conclude by September, because it has “seen these type of delays in the past and they’ve lasted from 1-4 months.” It has queried the brand’s head of communication, who said, “As much as we at

MINI

USA would like to have a definitive timeline, it would be too early to say.”

The spokesman did, however, say that Mini remains committed to the manual gearbox. That comes in contrast to

Toyota’s recent breakdown of manual take-rates

across a range of vehicle types,

Hyundai

jettisoning the manual

on the 2020 Elantra

, and stalwart enthusiast rides like the

Ford Mustang

Shelby GT500 and

Chevrolet Corvette

leaving the stick-shift fold. Nevertheless, Mini’s efforts feel, at best, like raging against the dying of the light, especially because the end of the

MF

report states, “the other big news is that Mini USA is also eliminating the manual option from some models all-together.”

MF

isn’t yet certain about which models are affected, though.

Buyers stepping up during the row-your-own intermission will get a crack at the long awaited seven-speed dual-clutch transmission or a revised eight-speed automatic. The DCT will slide into the Cooper and Coooper S models, the traditional automatic makes a home in the 301-horsepower

John Cooper Works Clubman

and

Countryman

.

from Autoblog http://bit.ly/2wj4OXU