While Mini has dropped the manual transmission, it will continue to race the Cooper
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by Brad Anderson
1 hour ago
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Mini has confirmed that the new Cooper will not be sold with a manual transmission, revealing that it has officially resigned the stick shift to the history books.
The British carmaker lifted the veil on the new 2025 Cooper earlier this week. So far, it has only been showcased in electric guise with up to 215 hp, 243 lb-ft (329 Nm) of torque, and a 54.2 kWh battery pack that gives it 250 miles (402 km) of range. We’re sure the EV will prove popular but Mini hasn’t completely forgotten about us gearheads and is working on a combustion-powered alternative. But, while speaking with Top Gear, Mini boss Stefanie Wurst has revealed that there will be no manual option for the ICE model.
“We won’t have a manual, unfortunately,” Wurst said.
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Interestingly, Wurst said that the brand remains committed to motorsport and that the launch of the new Cooper, even without a stick shift, doesn’t mean the brand’s days on the racetrack are over. “I think meeting Charlie [Cooper, grandson of one John Cooper] made me confident about continuing with motorsport,” Wurst added. “Performance still helps to sell cars.”
Read: 2024 John Cooper Works 1to6 Edition Could Be The Last Manual MINI
Mini’s decision not to offer the 2025 Cooper with a manual transmission means that the 2024 John Cooper Works 1to6 Edition unveiled in May will indeed be the brand’s final car with a manual, as we had suspected. Just 999 examples of the hot hatch are being produced, each equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that produces 231 hp, allowing the car to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in a solid 6.3 seconds.
It is not yet known what form of motorsport Mini will race the new Cooper, with Wurst noting that not all forms of electric racing have proved successful.
“For me, it’s just really difficult to judge right now because not all new forms of electric motorsport have been successful,” she said. “Which is a good platform for the future? We’ll see what evolves and plan to join something.”
