MINI SE production pause. Received this email from MINI

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interestedinEV

Well-Known Member
AN UPDATE FROM MINI.


We wanted to let you know that, due to the ever-evolving challenges surrounding COVID-19, we’ve made the tough call to pause production at MINI Plant Oxford and other manufacturing facilities across Europe for the time being. Our priority is always the safety and health of our amazing MINI team, our partners, suppliers and, of course, our wonderful MINI drivers.

It’s likely that this will cause a delay in your delivery date. We understand this is no doubt disappointing, especially as you’ve been waiting to get behind the wheel of your new MINI Electric, but hope you can understand why we’ve made this decision. Your MINI Dealer will contact you to provide an updated delivery date when they are able to.

Of course, if you wish, you can cancel your order and receive a refund by contacting your MINI Dealer. But if you choose to wait (and we hope you will), we promise you this:

Whatever the world throws at us, we’re committed to delivering your order and bringing you the most feel-good car on the road.

We hope you and your loved ones stay safe in these challenging times.

Yours, MINI Team
 
Yes, I received that email today, too. AFAIK, even though I placed my first deposit with the dealer in October and another deposit through MINI the day they opened the limited website for reserving one of the first 200 (unfortunately, none of the 200 spec models matched what I wanted), the regional office never got around to submitting my order before everything closed down.

Now the UK has extended their national shutdown for at least 3 more weeks. I'm disappointed, but happy no one has to get infected just so I can get my MINI Electric a few weeks earlier.

I just wish MINI would give me a break as compensation for this delay and allow me to delete the fake hood scoop. The base MINI hood costs them less and they build those cars on the same assembly line, so how hard could it be to make the substitution?
 
I read some hopeful news about the UK re-opening factories:

> Boris Johnson has set out a three-stage plan to get
> Britain back to work, abandoning his “stay at home”
> message and holding out the prospect that schools
> and parts of the economy could start to reopen before
> the summer. In a sharp change of tone, Mr Johnson
> said in a televised address that, while people should
> continue to work at home if possible, he wanted those
> in jobs such as construction and manufacturing to go
> back to work this week.

I modified the report by adding a self-serving sentence at the end before sending it to my hard-working MINI saleslady who wants so badly to deliver the MINI Cooper SE I ordered last October.

> Mr Johnson closed by saying that electric cars should
> not have hood scoops.

She didn't respond to Boris' dislike for electric cars with hood scoops, but replied:
> It was rumored the plant may restart next week but have not
> heard anything definitive from MINI. Hopefully I will soon!

To repeat my frustrating quest, I've written letters (remember letters?) to MINI execs in New Jersey, Britain, and Germany. Only one replied, indicating that the fake hood scoop was added by the marketing department after the scoopless pre-production prototypes were offered up to auto journalists for early drives. I guess I should be grateful if they can even build a car for me.
 
Hooray! The Oxford Mail reports:
> A spokesperson for Mini said that in Oxford, full production would resume on Monday, May 18.

However, the article also gave cause for worry:
> the source said that there was 'very little chance' of workers staying two metres apart.'

I wonder if I still have time to send a couple of C-notes and a pack of masks through the mail to bribe the factory team member who selects which hoods go with which bodies? I've tried everything else.
 
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