Mini pauses production of six-speed manual cars until 2023

Production of Mini cars with manual transmissions has stalled, amid the conflict in Ukraine – however three-pedal gearboxes will return to the factory floor by early next year, the company says.

British small car brand Mini has paused production of new vehicles with manual transmissions, as supply restrictions tighten – though three-pedal cars are due to begin rolling off factory floors again by early 2023.

First reported by the UK’s Autocar, production of Mini vehicles with manual transmissions has been halted due to a combination of the ongoing semiconductor shortage, and the conflict in Ukraine which is restricting the supply of the wiring harnesses needed to produce vehicles.

A Mini Australia spokesperson told Drive the company expects “the situation to improve by early next year, possibly sooner”, with customers that order today looking at “a production date early next year”.

Mini offers more manual passenger cars than any other brand in Australia; of the 43 model variants the company sells, 27 can be had with a six-speed manual transmission as a no-cost option, through a special factory order.

Six-speed manuals are available across 3-Door Hatch, 5-Door Hatch, Clubman and Convertible model lines, with the Cooper SE electric hatchback, Countryman SUV range and John Cooper Works Clubman ‘wagon’ the only variants without a three-pedal option.

Across the first nine months of 2021, manual transmissions accounted for 4.4 per cent of three-door Cooper S hatch sales, 5.3 per cent of five-door Cooper S hatchbacks, 10.3 per cent of John Cooper Works three-doors, and 6.5 per cent of Clubman Cooper S wagons.

“The semiconductor supply bottleneck has impacted the availability of individual vehicle equipment options for certain Mini models,” a Mini Australia spokesperson told Drive.

“This issue has been compounded by the Russia/Ukraine crisis, which is restricting the supply of wiring harnesses produced in factories in Ukraine.

“The six-speed manual transmission has not been deleted from our product offer, however clients wanting to order a vehicle with this specification, will be looking at a production date early next year. We expect the situation to improve by early next year, possibly sooner.”

In a statement given to Autocar, a Mini spokesperson said: “Current circumstances, including the war in Ukraine and semiconductor shortages, are causing supply chain restrictions across the global automotive industry.

“In order to secure maximum production output to meet increasing customer demand, our product offer needs to be simplified. This solution is the most effective way to ensure production stability so that we can continue to supply all our customers with new Minis.”

All Mini 3-Door Hatch, 5-Door Hatch and Clubman cars sold in Australia are built at the company’s home base in Cowley (in Oxford), England, while the Convertible is built alongside the Countryman SUV in the Netherlands.

The Cowley plant has previously found itself in the firing line of stock shortages, with production pausing for five days in late February due to semiconductor shortages.

Meanwhile, the wiring harness bottleneck – caused by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, where the harnesses are produced – has affected other brands from Mercedes-Benz and Mini parent BMW, to the Volkswagen Group’s VW, Skoda, Audi and Porsche brands.

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