Mini Cooper EV Behind Schedule — Production Delayed in UK – CleanTechnica

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Last Updated on: 1st March 2025, 10:01 am

Reports are out that production of the Mini Cooper EV is delayed in the UK. That also means that the Cooper EV as well as the fully electric Aceman model are most likely going to be delayed in the US.

Of course, the Cooper EV and Aceman are produced in China. However, there have been growing barriers to China-produced electric vehicles, and having production in the UK could provide cost benefits for consumers in the EU and the US. Unfortunately, it appears there are barriers in the way of that happening anytime soon.

It’s not clear what exactly is delaying production of these electric models in Oxford or how long the delay will be. According to parent BMW Group, “Given the multiple uncertainties facing the automotive industry, the BMW Group is currently reviewing the timing for reintroducing battery-electric Mini production in Oxford,” Autocar reports a company representative as saying.

Notably, this is not just a halt from a paper plan. £600 million ($754 million) has already been invested into this electrification project at its factory in Oxford as well as a nearby body factory in Swindon.

Regarding the US, in November, Mini delayed a decision on whether to bring the Cooper EV and Aceman to the US. The US has always been a harder market for small cars, but the market for electric cars is also now up in the air as we wait to see what Donald Trump and Republicans do with EV incentives — or even if they add EV taxes, which has been floated. That said, the electric Countryman SE ALL4 is for sale in the US … for now. Uncertainty about the US market could indeed be part of the reason the UK production plans are being questioned and delayed, though.

Mini still plans to be a 100% electric automaker by 2030, but where it’s selling and making cars is no certainty, let alone how many it will sell. With political backlash against EVs in the US and some other markets, let’s just hope BMW/Mini doesn’t have a change of mind and go backward on its broader EV plans.