Will the MINI Aceman Ever Come to the US?

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MINI is putting a lot of energy into the Aceman launch. But What are the plans to bring it to the US? And if it does, when could we see it at dealers? We posed these questions to a few of our sources and got some interesting answers.

Based on what we hear, MINI believes that the Aceman has a chance to be the biggest seller in the range within a few years. But first they have to get it on sale in all key markets. Of course that was the original intent. But first cost and then global politics got in the way.

Designing and engineering cars for global markets is incredible expensive – especially for a small brand like MINI. Now add to this an entire range of combustion Coopers and a few Countryman and outright cost prohibitive.

To solve this BMW had to get creative in how it accomplished both. This is how Spotlight Motors was created. A joint venture between MINI and Great Wall Motors from China, Spotlight was designed to help BMW leverage the scale of GWM along with their expertise in building electric cars. Given the fact that China is now the definitive world leader in volume for EVs, it seemed like a safe and smart move.

With economies of scale solved with the collaboration and production set for China, BMW was left to engineer and design the new MINI Cooper and Aceman in Germany. If that sounds too good to be true, it was. A global trade war kicked off just as BMW signed on with GWM and suddenly countries like the US slapped 25-30% tariffs on Chinese cars (among other goods).

This all makes importing the MINI Aceman to the US and other countries particularly difficult from a profit standpoint. While MINI ha intended to eventually produce its new electric models in other parts of the world, this global trade ward accelerated those plans and both cars will now be produced in Oxford from 2026 onward.

The J05 Aceman being produced in the UK will serve Europe and likely the North American markets. This could allow for US imports to begin by 2026 – only two years away. The key word is “could” as sources tell us final decisions on where the Aceman will be sold are still being made. But things look promising according to our sources.

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