The manual take rate wasn’t high to begin with.
Emissions certifications are holding up Mini models with manual transmissions from reaching U.S. shores. According to MotoringFile, calibration testing for the six-speed manual is taking longer than anticipated.
According to their article, the delay could take anywhere between one and four months. However, their conversation with Mini did not eke out an actual timeframe. In the meantime, Mini will bring the next model year’s automatics when production begins in July.
Buyers looking into a Mini this summer will also get a shot at a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission option. That will make its way into the Cooper and Cooper S models. Other Minis will get the revised eight-speed automatic instead.
Still, if you’re in the market for a Mini, it’s not likely you’ll notice the delay. Unless you are part of the tiny segment of buyers who actually buy a three-pedaled Mini, things will go on as normal.
The manual take rate…sucks
Only 11 percent of Mini’s sales are manual cars, according to a company spokesperson. That’s slightly better than other brands like Subaru or Volkswagen, but is still pretty terrible. While 89 percent of buyers buy a Mini with an automatic, the picture does change a little bit depending on which Mini model you look at.
Take the JCW Mini, for example. That’s a model aimed harder at enthusiasts, so the manual take rate is much better. The two-door hardtop has the highest percentage at 41 percent, according to a recent Autoblog post. The JCW Clubman and Countryman have a 22 percent and 19 percent manual take rate, respectively.
Things don’t look quite so bad for the normal Mini Cooper S convertible, either. Its manual take rate stands at 30 percent. Weirdly, the hardtop’s take rate is only 17 percent.
Mini is also offering its “Oxford Edition”, a discounted version for recent college graduates as well as active or recently retired military members.
