Has anyone been able find monthly sales data for the various MINI models, particularly the SE? I presume that US sales of the SE have likely dropped off considerably since the $7,500 tax credit was cancelled. Even on this forum the once very active thread of buyers attempting to track the build and shipping of their new SE has all but died. So much for Dems support of mobility electrification versus their support of unions. Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
I think you can safely keep politics out of the discussion; any manufacturer worth their beans will strive to comply with all regulations so as to be able to sell as many vehicles they can in any market they care to enter or maintain - just as they always have. That's called capitalism. Tesla and VAG are doing that right now, HyunKia, Mercedes and the Big Three are following suit, and BMW and the Japanese are sure to fall into line. It's a win for North American industry and workers, and it'll eventually be a win for decarbonizing transport. The "dems" did not campaign on a platform that would ensure that every privileged person can save $7500 on an upmarket car or oversized SUV.
MINI doesn’t break out sales data for the SE; it’s lumped in with all 2-door hardtops. As a group, their sales were up 8.8% in the first quarter of 2023, relative to the first quarter of 2022. https://www.motoringfile.com/2023/04/05/mini-usa-sales-up-5-9-for-q1-2023/
I was at the coopers n coffee this past weekend. they had a half dozen SEs on the lot. When I picked up my 2 SEs, they didnt have a demo SE. The manual JCW was gone. That was a sweet ride.
I was at the dealer today, they had two SEs inside the showroom. One was a BRG and the other was a Resolute edition. I didn't check the lot, but my dealer has a full showroom and lots of inventory. Also I noticed the vending machines sport the SE.
Tesla is the biggest winner of the revised EV tax credit and they are not a union shop. Here is a great picture of the Tesla office in Palo Alto way back in 2015. They setup like this daily. So no, Dems aren't just supporting unions with the change. It is actually a lot more aligned to conservatives trying to push for manufacturing in the US.
I’m all for the new jobs and bringing production of everything back to the US. But, with a graduated implementation of the tax credit cessation we could have had the benefit of both. The abrupt stop to the tax credit has significantly and needlessly stifled sales of electric cars. Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
a) This is not a politics forum... that said, don't confuse "Democrats" with "Joe Manchin". It's been pretty clear Sen. Manchin in particular is responsible for the new restrictions on federal EV tax credits. And let's not kid ourselves; if the GOP were in control of the Senate, federal EV tax credits would've expired and be dead and gone entirely. b) Ignoring the battery mineral content requirement (because there's just not enough info out there to account for it at the moment), there are quite a lot of EVs out now or coming soon that still qualify for the federal tax credit: Cadillac Lyriq (2022-23) Chevy Blazer EV (2024) Chevy Bolt EV & EUV (2022-23) Chevy Equinox EV (2024) Chevy Silverado EV (2024) Ford F-150 Lightning (2022-23) Ford Mustang Mach-E (2022-23) Ford E-Transit (2022-23) Genesis GV70 Electrified (2024) Nissan Leaf SV, S Plus, SL Plus (2021-22) Nissan Leaf S /SV Plus (2021-23) Rivian R1S & R1T (2022-23) Tesla Model 3 (2022-23) Tesla Model Y (2022-23) Volkswagen ID.4 (2023) [list from Electrek article] c) Y'all are completely ignoring the used EV tax credit. That may prove to be more instrumental in accelerating EV adoption than the new car credit ever was.
At the state level, almost all states that have an EV tax credit are Democrat controlled. Meanwhile, my right-wing state has me pay more for my car registration than an ICE vehicle. They also just raised my registration while lowering ICE registration. So instead of having a progressive tax based on the value of the car or the impact to the roads, they penalize green vehicles. So much for Dems Republicans support of mobility electrification.
I don’t have a problem with a registration premium on EVs. We aren’t contributing to road maintenance via gas taxes anymore, so it makes sense to contribute via some other means. The only downside is gas taxes are at least roughly usage-based; a registration fee is not.
Global sales, not US specific, but according to this article: https://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/high-pace-electric-vehicle-sales-bmw-brand-more-than-double-again-in-q1/ MINI sold 8688 SEs in Q1 of this year. Total MINI sales were down 9.2% to 68,541, meaning that SE sales made up 13% of the total. On first blush, that seems down from the 1-in-3 EV vs. ICE mix reported previously, but IIRC the latter was for 3 door hardtops only, so not an apples-to-apples comparison.
Motor1 posted this data 6 days ago as part of its story about the millionth "current generation" MINI being an SE going to a Canadian customer. Speaking of the electric Cooper SE, the locally emission-free vehicle was by far Mini’s most popular model last year with 43,744 units sold around the globe. The EV hatch accounted for almost a quarter of the company’s combined sales, which is a rather impressive result, considering the Cooper SE was only launched in 2020.
