Mini Bids Farewell to Manual Transmissions after 2025

• Mini boss Stefanie Wurst told Top Gear, “We won’t have a manual, unfortunately.”
  

• The new Mini Cooper has already been revealed in BEV form, but the ICE version is still set to be revealed.

• The next-generation Mini Cooper BEV sports a column shifter, which might carry over to the internal-combustion variant.

On the heels of the death of the manually shifted VW GTI in the United States, Mini is formally going automatic only. With the launch of the next-generation Mini Cooper, Mini boss Stefanie Wurst told Top Gear the company won’t offer a manual transmission.

Bluntly, Wurst told the publication, “We won’t have a manual, unfortunately.” This manual departure joins the growing trend of discontinuing manual transmissions.

While we know the next-gen Mini Cooper won’t have a manual transmission, we still don’t know what will fit under the hood. That said, it’s doubtful Mini will shake up its powertrain lineup from what’s currently available.

So you can almost expect the 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder will still sit at the base of the Mini Cooper hierarchy, with the 2.0-liter I4 slotting above it in Cooper S trim.

Of course, the eight-speed automatic will be the only available transmission.

Considering Mini has already revealed the Cooper Electric, we’re expecting to see the full details on the internal-combustion 2025 Mini Cooper lineup shortly.

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper and Mini Countryman Electrics

2025 Mini Cooper and Mini Countryman Electrics

2025 Mini Cooper and Mini Countryman Electrics

2025 Mini Cooper and Mini Countryman Electrics

2025 Mini Cooper and Mini Countryman Electrics

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Cooper Electric Lineup

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

2025 Mini Countryman Electric

Though, thanks to the Mini Cooper Electric’s reveal, you can see what the ’25 Cooper will look like, save for the powertrain.

Mini dropping the manual transmission might be sad for Mini fans, but it shouldn’t be a huge surprise.

We’re seeing automakers continually move away from manual transmissions. From the Chevrolet C8 Corvette to Volkswagen GTIs after 2024, manual transmissions are becoming more and more rare.

Add to that the increased focus on battery-electric platforms and new packaging constraints, and it’s easy to see the sun setting on stick-shifted mass-market cars.

Do you think Mini is making a massive mistake doing away with the manual transmission? Tell us your thoughts below.