The Mini Cooper SE “Made in China” Begins Production

This page is translated from the original post "La Mini Cooper SE “Made in China” débute sa production" in French.

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Mini Chine

The new Mini Cooper electric is no longer produced in Europe but in China. A detail the brand does not try to hide.

With drums and trumpets, the alliance BMW – Great Wall Motor announced the much-anticipated image of a paradigm shift: the outsourcing of the production of the most British city car, the Mini Cooper.

The first units left the assembly line at the Zhangjiagang factory on Saturday, October 14, 2023. The production capacity will soon reach 160,000 units annually, some of which will then travel partially to Europe. In France, the Mini Cooper SE may very soon lose its eligibility for the eco-bonus due to its distant Chinese origin, which worsens the car’s CO2 balance now that it is an Asian product.

Mini electric

On the customer side, the mystery remains: how will this information be received that the Mini, a highly priced product with performance still well below market references, will present an even higher margin? If one wants nice Chinese cars, the offer already exists. Buying a Chinese Mini, whose production cost will be even lower than if it had been produced at the historic Oxford factory, is another option. And finally, what about its appeal without the eco-bonus?

Will the Sino-British car be condemned in France? One might think so, at least until the relocation of its production back to England, expected around 2025-2026. But the damage to the brand’s image will probably already be done by then. As for the Chinese market, will it take over in terms of sales? The country’s economic situation makes us doubt, Tesla’s sales, for example, plummeted in September 2023 due to much cheaper local competition.

READ ALSO: Sold for €62,650 in France, the VW ID.7 costs €24,300 in China

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