Mini, longtime #savethemanuals advocate, kills off stickshifts

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Of all the car brands to not ride the manual transmission out to the bitter end, I really didn’t think one would be Mini. My first Mini press car was a manual. Heck, a few weeks ago I test-drove a manual base-model Mini 3-door. And while I never aspired to be Mark Wahlberg from The Italian Job remake, it was cool to watch that flick and see them outmanoeuvre Ed Norton in a trio of manual Minis. The automaker’s been properly vocal about its enthusiasm for the stickshift and its aim to put it one the hands of the next generation.

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Am I completely surprised? Nah. Am I disappointed the company didn’t do it a few years from now? Kinda. I get it, though; there’s a lot of people out there using the #savethemanuals hashtag, and a few actually buying manuals. Supply, demand; action, inaction; financial implications, we all know how this goes.

But why now? In May 2023, Mini brand head Stephanie Wurst said there was a 99-per-cent probability that three-pedal Minis would die before the next generation came out. Of course, as The Drive pointed out at the time, 99 per cent isn’t a full 100 per cent, and, internally, there was a campaign to keep the manuals in motion, even if only for high-powered trims, like the JCW. Sadly, that effort stalled, and Wurst has now confirmed all future Minis will see a max of two pedals.

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Her exact words? “We won’t have a manual, unfortunately.” Unfortunate, indeed. If you want a manual Mini, production is expected to cease at the end of February 2024, per a Mini USA rep.

It’s an odd move, given that current manual JCWs account for 45 per cent of that trim’s sales, and seeing as the automaker already has manual transmissions in its parts bins, it’s not generally difficult to drop one in instead of an automatic.

Plus, the brand still wants to stay involved in the racing side of things, though to be fair that’s mostly electric racing, specifically, with helping hands include Charlie Cooper, grandson of John Cooper. No details yet on the nuts and bolts of that venture.

You’ll be missed, manual-transmission Mini. While it’s still fun and engaging to drive a tiny car with gobs of power and terrific handling, it won’t be the same with that missing pedal. Do you think Mini made the right choice in ending manual transmissions? Let us know in the comment section.