Brexit finally materialized Jan. 31 after several years of planning, uncertainty and delays. The U.K.'s future outside the European Union still promises plenty of uncertainty on the horizon. And one of the latest effects of that uncertainty are strategic plans of carmakers with a U.K. presence, including timing of the next-generation Mini Cooper, built in the U.K. by the BMW-owned automaker. Reuters reports the next Mini's development, both two- and four-door, is delayed due to cost cuts and lingering trade uncertainty between the European Union and the U.K.
"The lifespan of this platform has been extended," BMW spokesman Maximilian Schoeberl told Reuters, "for cost reasons and because of Brexit."
Today's Mini Cooper, based on the UKL 1 platform shared with several BMWs, enjoyed a successful launch six years ago. But with consumer tastes migrating toward larger SUVs and crossovers, sales declined in the second half of the decade. So Mini licked its wounds and soldiered on with a lineup of compact models, while slowly making plans for its electric future. This electric future arrived earlier this winter with the Mini Cooper SE—the brand's first truly-volume EV model—but one based on the 2014-generation Mini Cooper architecture, already two-thirds of the way through its product cycle.
The new Mini was expected to arrive in 2022, but today's UKL 1-based cars might make due with another facelift to last another few years. This means a new Cooper might not arrive until 2023 or 2024, by which time the base model's platform could be a decade old.
The move makes some sense on BMW's part, and not just because it plans to cut engine and gearbox combinations 50 percent, as Reuters notes. Until a new platform is developed for all of its small cars, including various 2-Series versions, it doesn't make sense to replace the basic Mini Cooper models before new EV and PHEV versions of the platform are sketched out. This is the other part of the puzzle holding the Mini Coopers in place: BMW is still planning its strategy for small EVs and hybrids.
Anxiety over the post-Brexit customs landscape had been on the agendas of multiple automakers and suppliers since the surprise referendum result in 2016. Some even made veiled threats of leaving the U.K. entirely if post-Brexit movement of goods between borders were delayed. Some automakers made contingency plans for delays at the border by stockpiling more parts for vehicle assembly—enough for several weeks of production. While no nightmare scenario has materialized, several automakers had already cut back investment in U.K. sites until a clearer picture of a post-Brexit trade landscape emerges.
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February 04, 2020 at 06:00PM
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Next Mini Cooper Delayed Due to Brexit Worries and BMW's Cost Cutting, Report Says - Autoweek
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