Currently reading: BMW: next-generation Mini hatch to be delayed

Arrival of fourth-gen hatch set to be pushed back due to uncertainty over future UK-EU trade and need to cut costs

BMW is set to delay the development of the next-generation Mini hatch due to uncertainty over Britain’s trade relations with the European Union after Brexit and a need to cut costs, according to reports.

The third generation of the revived hatchback was launched in 2014, and a new version had been due to arrive in 2022 or 2023

But BMW spokesman Maximilan Schoeberl said that the new model would now be delayed. The current Mini is built on BMW’s UKL1 platform, and Reuters quoted Schoeberl as saying: “The lifespan of this platform has been extended. For cost reasons and because of Brexit.”

Most examples of the Mini hatch, including the new electric version, are built at the BMW Mini plant in Oxford, although many of the parts used are imported from the European Union. While Britain has now left the EU, the current trading rules will remain in place until the end of 2020 while a new deal is negotiated - which could potentially include tariffs on goods crossing the border.

The Mini hatch, along with a number of other Mini and BMW models, is built under contract at the VDL Nedcar factory in the Netherlands, and BMW has repeatedly stated that it could move production away from Britain if a future UK-EU trade arrangement includes significant tariffs on exports.

When it arrives, the next-generation Mini hatch is set to shrink in size, and will shift from UKL1 to a yet-to-be-confirmed new platform, which is likely to be either BMW’s FAAR architecture or a new one understood to be in development with Chinese firm Great Wall.

Switching to a new platform would require significant investment to upgrade the current Mini production lines in both Oxford and the Netherlands, at a time when BMW is trying to make substantial cost savings to free up resources to invest in electric, connected and autonomous vehicle technology.

BMW is in the process of dramatically cutting vehicle development costs and slashing the number of engine and gearbox combinations it offers in a bid to lower costs. 

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James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar's acting magazine editor. Having served in that role since June 2023, he is in charge of the day-to-day running of the world's oldest car magazine, and regularly interviews some of the biggest names in the industry to secure news and features, such as his world exclusive look into production of Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets. 

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Kamelo 3 February 2020

Jaguar

Why not jointly develop the next Mini with Jaguar...the Jaguar XA / BMW Mini?

Symanski 3 February 2020

Flat Brexiters.

Like Flat Earthers they're still in denial about the effects of Breixt and what harm it will do to the UK.

 

They've been absolutelly conned that Brexit will only ever improve their lives, but how?   Vacuous promises and lies?   Boris ran away from all of his as quickly as he could!   Even now on Brexit day, the day he wanted, he was nowhere to be seen.

 

Boris is Busted.   All Bluff and Bluster.   Not fit to be PM.   And, for the record, neither was Corbyn.

 

Britain has never before been so poorly represented by politicians on all sides.

 

Now you're going to start to see the costs of Brexit as automotive and other manufacturers start packing up and leaving the UK, leaving Brits out of jobs, leaving the country poorer.   But will Brexiters take responsibilty for their actions?   No.

 

hackjo 3 February 2020

Symanski wrote:

Symanski wrote:

Like Flat Earthers they're still in denial about the effects of Breixt and what harm it will do to the UK.

 

They've been absolutelly conned that Brexit will only ever improve their lives, but how?   Vacuous promises and lies?   Boris ran away from all of his as quickly as he could!   Even now on Brexit day, the day he wanted, he was nowhere to be seen.

 

Boris is Busted.   All Bluff and Bluster.   Not fit to be PM.   And, for the record, neither was Corbyn.

 

Britain has never before been so poorly represented by politicians on all sides.

 

Now you're going to start to see the costs of Brexit as automotive and other manufacturers start packing up and leaving the UK, leaving Brits out of jobs, leaving the country poorer.   But will Brexiters take responsibilty for their actions?   No.

 

How do you get out of bed in a morning when you have such a negative view of the country you live in? You must be in a constant state of frustration. Hope you can find peace.

Symanski 3 February 2020

Reality bites.

hackjo wrote:

How do you get out of bed in a morning when you have such a negative view of the country you live in? You must be in a constant state of frustration. Hope you can find peace.

Reality is going to bite you.

Or you could try and explain the advantages of Brexit. Go ahead and list them...

hackjo 3 February 2020

Symanski wrote:

Symanski wrote:
hackjo wrote:

How do you get out of bed in a morning when you have such a negative view of the country you live in? You must be in a constant state of frustration. Hope you can find peace.

Reality is going to bite you.

Or you could try and explain the advantages of Brexit. Go ahead and list them...

Control over all aspects of the political management of the UK within Parliament without outside interference.

Capability to trade internationally and develop a more diverse set of trading relationships.

Removal of obligation to freedom of movement.

One level of elected governance as opposed to two with the EU parliament to take into account.

Reduction of the impact of globalisation on UK cultural, economic and sociological touch points.

Greater ability to insulate the UK against problems in the Eurozone and EU in general.

Capability to diversify trade beyond the EU.

Heightened sense of national pride and perception of sovereignty.

Greater accountability of UK Government - no more blaming EU regulation for UK decisions.

It's what a democratic majority wanted and indicated through democratic verdicts in four democratic elections.

Symanski 3 February 2020

hackjo wrote:

hackjo wrote:

Control over all aspects of the political management of the UK within Parliament without outside interference.

Capability to trade internationally and develop a more diverse set of trading relationships.

Removal of obligation to freedom of movement.

One level of elected governance as opposed to two with the EU parliament to take into account.

Reduction of the impact of globalisation on UK cultural, economic and sociological touch points.

Greater ability to insulate the UK against problems in the Eurozone and EU in general.

Capability to diversify trade beyond the EU.

Heightened sense of national pride and perception of sovereignty.

Greater accountability of UK Government - no more blaming EU regulation for UK decisions.

It's what a democratic majority wanted and indicated through democratic verdicts in four democratic elections.

All you've listed is isolationism. And we've now got a global economy, which means Britain has to have a presence on the global platform.

For that harmonisation of standards across the EU has only benefitted Britain - and why we were one of the leaders in that process. This reduced British industry's costs.

We're giving up trade deals with our neighbours in the hope of making better ones elsewhere. Worse, it's frictionless trade we have with our neighbours, which is far superior to free trade. Investigate the difference and you'll see why that is so important.

The only tariffs you can remove is your own. That means more imports to the UK pushing out UK industries. Every country in the world operates a system to protect their own industry.

EU had trade agreements with many nations and regions around the world and Brexit is to give them all up. These take decades to arrange.

Freedom of moment benefitted Britain in two ways. Those who wanted to work in the EU had the right to. And Britain was able to employ skilled workers from the EU, something that our industries especially in engineering needs.

Nothing you have listed benefits Britain past a nostalgic sense of superiority that never existed.

si73 2 February 2020

Ignoring all the political

Ignoring all the political stuff within this piece, the delayed car itself will be smaller, that's great news, my brother took a photo of his R52? 1st generation BMW mini cooper s convertible beside a 2018 3 door cooper and the new car dwarfed his, I always thought the original 'new' mini was too big when launched but now it looks just right and is a car that I would really quite like, so that the next gen is going smaller is good news, fingers crossed it will be a similar size to the first gen.