German Spiergel reports that the car brand MINI will launch its last engine car in 2025 and will switch its lineup to electric models only from 2030. Since the model life of MINI is usually refreshed or abolished in 7 years, the last engine-equipped car is likely to have a slightly shorter sales agency than the existing model.
MINI is basically a brand that sells one model in several variations such as Cooper, Clubman, and Countryman. Currently, only one model of MINI Cooper SE is lined up as a fully electric model, but we are already developing a crossover type MINI, and it is thought that it will not be so difficult to electrify all models in the future. I will.
Behind this decision is believed to be the policy of banning the sale of new engine-equipped vehicles, including hybrids and PHEVs, in 2030 in Germany, the home country of BMW, which owns the MINI. In addition, the United Kingdom has recently promoted new sales of engine vehicles by 2035 by 2030, and European countries and some states in the United States are lining up with the end of new sales of engine-equipped vehicles during this period.
For automakers, for example, Daimler seems to have made a full-scale move toward the electrification era, which will stop research and development of internal combustion engines in 2019. Jaguar has also announced that it will move to a fully electric vehicle in 2025. Volvo recently announced plans to discontinue production of vehicles with internal combustion engines by 2030. GM in the United States is also “strongly hoping” to become a fully electric vehicle company by 2035. And it seems that more and more manufacturers will continue to change to fully electric vehicle manufacturers by 2030.
On the other hand, China, a market that cannot be ignored by automobile manufacturers, has a policy of banning new sales of engine-only vehicles from 2035.
Since China has banned the sale of engine vehicles for the purpose of improving the fuel efficiency of all vehicles that drive, hybrid vehicles will be allowed to be sold up to half of new vehicle sales after 2035.
As a result, some manufacturers may remain automakers and brands that continue to produce hybrid vehicles for China and other markets. In fact, MINI’s parent company BMW, which has China as its largest market, has not yet decided when to end production of engine vehicles.
However, while BMW said in 2018 that it would launch 12 electrified models within the group by 2025, it has only announced two models, the MNI Cooper SE and the BMW iX3. With MINI first announcing that it will be electrified by 2030, BMW’s existing models may accelerate to become electric vehicles in the future.