Mini will not provide a handbook transmission in its redesigned Cooper hatchback, which implies the transmission is formally lifeless at a model that till now was one in all its strongest proponents.

Talking with High Gear at this week’s 2023 Munich auto present, the place Mini confirmed off its new Cooper in electrical guise, model boss Stefanie Wurst confirmed neither the electrical model nor the yet-to-be-revealed gasoline model will provide the choice of a handbook.

The brand new Cooper arrives as a 2025 mannequin however precise timing for the beginning of gross sales within the U.S. hasn’t been introduced. A redesigned Countryman has additionally been revealed for the 2025 mannequin yr, and a smaller crossover to be known as the Aceman can be on monitor to reach for the 2025 mannequin yr to finish the next-generation Mini lineup.

The loss of life of the handbook at Mini is not an enormous shock because the model in Could rolled out a particular 1to6 Version model of its outgoing hatch as a celebration of the handbook transmission.

2024 Mini John Cooper Works 1to6 Version

A senior government at Mini’s BMW mum or dad firm additionally mentioned in June that each the handbook transmission and dual-clutch computerized are on their manner out, as typical torque converter-based automatics are higher fitted to the EV transition.

Mini earlier this yr printed the outcomes of a survey, which confirmed that just about half (49%) of all Gen Z respondents indicated they did not know find out how to drive a handbook. When requested in the event that they had been keen to study, 53% of the Gen Z respondents indicated they had been keen on studying find out how to row their very own gears. That proportion grows when all ages as much as 34 are counted; on this case 67% mentioned they had been desperate to study.

To cater to people seeking to discover ways to drive stick, Mini has been operating a handbook transmission driving course since final fall on the BMW West Coast driving faculty positioned on the Thermal Membership non-public racetrack in California. It is not clear whether or not the course will stick round now that the model is ditching the handbook.