Exclusive: MINI USA Will Not Import the J01 Electric MINI Cooper & Aceman In the Near Future

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It’s official. After a year of anticipation, MINI USA has decided not to import the J01 electric MINI Cooper and MINI Aceman for the time being. For over a year, the official stance was that they were “evaluating” bringing the J01 and J05 to North America. With this news, MINI USA has decided to wait before making a formal decision. However that doesn’t mean there’s no hope of the new MINI EVs eventually reaching the US and Canada.

With this statement, MINI USA is effectively holding off on a formal announcement until there’s greater clarity around tariffs and UK production. However, simply manufacturing both cars in the UK won’t necessarily make them tariff-free.

The Hurdles the J01 & J05 will Have to Overcome

The incoming US administration has promised tariffs on all imported goods, which could pose a huge hurdle for the MINI brand in general, let alone the J01 and J05. Such tariffs could make any imported MINI either prohibitively expensive or lead to major profit losses for BMW.

Even if European tariffs don’t materialize, MINI faces another significant challenge. To avoid US tariffs, even UK-produced cars will need to be made from components sourced outside of China. This means MINI will need to source hundreds of critical components elsewhere, a task that requires extensive time and planning.

How European Tariffs Could Actually Help

Recently, Europe also introduced Chinese automotive tariffs, which pose similar challenges for MINI’s largest markets, the UK and Germany. This development will likely intensify MINI’s efforts not only to move production to the UK but also to source components from locations closer to the UK, likely within the EU itself.

Only if MINI accomplishes this will both cars be able to avoid the current North American tariffs on Chinese imports. Could this happen by 2026, when UK production is planned to start? It’s unclear, but with Europe facing similar hurdles, there’s an even greater urgency for MINI to make it happen.

What the US would get with the J01 and J05 are MINI’s first electric vehicles built from the ground up on an EV platform. That gives them more efficiency, better performance and a better use of space all thanks to a modern EV architecture.

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