Whereas automotive journalists have known as lately for his or her trade and shoppers to “save the manuals,” their campaigns for guide transmissions have fallen totally on deaf ears.
Besides at MINI.
No shock. The take charge for a stick shift in a Mini is claimed to be 18% to twenty%, and in John Cooper Works fashions, it is extra like 40%. The determine for the auto trade generally is 1.4%, that means that driving stick is all however a misplaced artwork — until you are driving a Mini, or say, a VW GTI or Golf R.
In a presentation this week detailing the adjustments and specs of MINIs for the 2024 mannequin 12 months, one revelation stands out: further hardtop and convertible fashions that may be ordered with stick shifts. Particularly, the checklist contains MINI Cooper convertible, the Cooper S ragtop, the Cooper four-door hardtop and four-door Cooper S. Manufacturing of these vehicles is scheduled to start in March.
In November, MINI USA, which is a part of the BMW group, introduced the return of manuals in its Cooper, Cooper S and John Cooper Works 2-door hardtops.
Here is a pricing breakdown:
Relating to different updates introduced, MINI will proceed to supply “particular” editions — Untamed, Untold and Resolute — that launched a 12 months in the past and obtained further enhancements in November that included new physique colors, inside upholsteries, and engine variants. These three editions could be had on the respective fashions geared up with the Iconic Trim.
MINI additionally says it should reintroduce the bottom Basic Trim to all Hardtop, Clubman, and Countryman fashions, and the Signature Trim will characteristic MINI Navigation as included tools, with Superior Actual Time Visitors Data in-built.
In December, the corporate launched a pair of tricked-out convertibles named the “Seaside Version” that may be optioned in Nanuq White or Caribbean Aqua colours. These fashions needs to be hitting dealers proper about now, MINI says.
