Bad news for Mini enthusiasts in the US as the BMW Group’s British brand won’t be gracing American streets with its smallest electric offerings anytime soon. Both the Mini Cooper Electric and the Aceman have been benched for North American markets indefinitely, with hefty import tariffs likely to blame, as they are currently manufactured in China.

Introduced in 2023 and 2024 respectively, the Cooper Electric three-door hatchback and Aceman five-door crossover marked Mini’s foray into an EV-only platform. However, plans to expand availability to the US and Canada have been paused, with UK-based production scheduled to begin at Mini’s Oxford plant in 2026.

More: Mini Launches Full-Blown JCW Versions Of Cooper Electric And Aceman EVs With 255 HP

As reported by Motoring File, Mini evaluated the feasibility of bringing these EVs to the US and Canada and decided to defer their launch indefinitely. For now, the US lineup will continue to feature the internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered Cooper/Convertible and the larger Countryman (offered in both ICE and EV configurations).

Mini confirmed this decision in a statement to Road&Track, with a spokesperson stating: “A decision has been taken to defer market availability of these models in the U.S. (and Canada) until a later date … At this time we’re not able to confirm what that date may be.” It’s a diplomatic way of saying: ‘don’t hold your breath.’

Tariffs and Production Realities

The harsh reality of 100% import tariffs on Chinese-built EVs has left Mini—and many others—locked out of the US market for now. A similar tariff regime is brewing in the European Union, prompting many automakers to shift EV production away from China to Europe. This explains Mini’s commitment to UK-based manufacturing for the Cooper Electric and Aceman starting in 2026.

But there’s more to it than assembly location. To sidestep US tariffs, Mini will also need to purge these vehicles of China-sourced components, which is a far more complex and expensive endeavor. Securing alternative suppliers and restructuring supply chains will take time, and until these pieces fall into place, a US launch is simply off the table.

A Tough Road Ahead

Only time will tell if Mini will succeed in delivering UK-manufactured EVs to US buyers. At the moment, the only fully electric Mini in the US is the Countryman Electric, which is being produced in Leipzig, Germany, alongside the closely related BMW X1 and iX1.

Both the Mini Cooper Electric and the Aceman are available with single front-mounted electric motors producing 181 hp (135 kW / 184 PS), 215 hp (160 kW / 218 PS), or 255 hp (190 kW / 258 PS) in the flagship JCW versions. Energy is sourced from a 40.7 kWh or a 54.2 kWh battery pack, offering a WLTP range of up to 406 km (252 miles) between charges.

America is a deeply divided country, but there’s one thing that unites all of us – hatred of car dealers. However, a new study suggests things are getting slightly better.

According to J.D. Power, overall customer satisfaction with purchasing a vehicle climbed from a score of 793 last year to 801 in 2024. That’s basically an 80% grade as scores are based on a 1,000 point scale.

More: Study Finds 25% Of Car Buyers Won’t Return To Dealership That Charged Above MSRP

So what’s behind the improvement? Pricing and inventory. The shortages and markups from the pandemic have largely subsided, meaning some of the power has shifted from dealers back to consumers.

Given these developments, it’s not surprising to learn the number of people paying over MSRP has dropped significantly. J.D. Power says 15% of mass market buyers paid over sticker last year, but that number dropped to 8% in 2024. For premium buyers, the number fell from 10% to 6%.

While everyone can get onboard with lower prices, dealers still have a lot of work to do in regards to personnel, paperwork, and delivery. It also appears the EV buying experience is significantly worse than that of an ICE-powered vehicle.

The buyer satisfaction score for mass market ICE-powered vehicles was 857, but just 822 for EVs. J.D. Power also noted a “similar pattern exists among buyers of premium vehicles.”

Part of this appears to be a lack of dealership employees knowledgeable about electric vehicles. However, even Tesla buyers had “markedly lower satisfaction with the effectiveness of the vehicle features explanation.”

Among premium brands, sales satisfaction was highest at Porsche. They were followed by Infiniti and Jaguar. Genesis got a dismal rating of 781, while Alfa Romeo was second to last with a significantly higher score of 810. That put them two points behind Mercedes and Lexus.

On the mainstream side of things, top honors went to Mini, Buick, and Subaru. Chrysler, Mitsubishi, and Toyota were the worst.

Mini has introduced performance-focused versions of the Electric hatchback and the Aceman subcompact crossover, bearing the JCW moniker. If you’re having a deja vu moment, it’s because the automaker already offers JCW trims based on the SE versions. However, these ones add more power and a sharper chassis setup into the mix, crowning the respective lineups.

The new versions are called John Cooper Works Electric and John Cooper Works Aceman, in an effort to be distinguished by the similar-looking but less powerful JCW counterparts. Under the hood lies a single electric motor producing 255 hp (190 kW / 258 PS) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque, transmitted to the front wheels. This represents an increase of 40 hp (30 kW / 40 PS) and 20 Nm (22 lb-ft) compared to the SE derivatives.

More: 2025 Mini John Cooper Works Hot Hatch To Bring Pure ICE Thrills This Fall

Furthermore, the driver has access to an extra 27 hp (20 kW) of power by pressing the boost paddle on the steering wheel. Mini says that the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint is completed in 5.9 seconds for the JCW Electric and in 6.4 seconds for the JCW Aceman, while top speed is electronically limited to 200 km/h (124 mph).

Both models are fitted with a 54.2 kWh battery pack, allowing a WLTP range of 371 km (231 miles) for the three-door hatchback and 355 km (221 miles) for the five-door crossover. Predictably, these figures are worse than the range of the less powerful SE versions with the same battery pack.

Visually, the hot versions feature the same bodykit with the JWC trims, including sportier front and rear bumpers, side skirts, rear wings, diffusers, and John Cooper Works badging. However, they ride on exclusive aero-optimised wheels (18-inch for the hatchback and 19-inch for the crossover), shod in standard high-grip tires.

The performance EVs also benefit from stronger brakes with Chili Red brake calipers, and a JCW-specific suspension setup, focusing on delivering a sharper version of Mini’s signature go-kart handling.

Inside, we find a black and red pattern on the knitted dashboard, an illuminated panoramic roof, and synthetic leather upholstery on the seats with knitted fabric inserts.

The Mini JCW Electric and JCW Aceman will be manufactured in China, although starting from 2026, they will also be produced in Oxford, UK. The company has also confirmed there will be a JCW version of the ICE-powered Mini Cooper hatchback, set to be unveiled this fall.

Automakers around the world are in a flap about falling EV sales, but maybe they’re just making the wrong kind of EVs, because BMW doesn’t seem to be having any problem shifting its battery vehicles. Sales of BMW-branded EVs are up by more than a fifth year-to-date.

BMW sold 22.6 percent more EVs between January and September 2024 than it did in the same period in 2023, according to new figures released by the automaker this week. Broadening the scope to include other BMW Group brands, including Mini and Rolls-Royce, the data shows that EV sales were up 19.1 percent.

Related: BMW Thinks Its High-End EVs Are Immune To Electric Downturn

And though the growth was lower in the most recent three-month period, BMW Group EV deliveries were still up 10.1 percent in Q3 even as the supposed collapse in electric sales being experienced in other corners of the industry started to take effect. Mercedes, for example, suffered a 31 percent decline in EV sales in Q3.

Zooming out again, however, to look at the overall sales picture across all powertrain types, the data shows that BMW Group sales were down 4.5 percent YTD and 13 percent in Q3. BMW-branded vehicles fared less badly, their deliveries dropping 2.3 percent so far in 2024 and 11.4 percent in Q3, a period in which Mercedes grew its sales by 1 percent to 503,600, beating BMW’s 487,000.

BMW’s official explanation for the Group’s Jan-Sep slip is a combination of production stops to deal with faulty Integrated Braking System components, as well as “difficult” market conditions in China. The braking issue is dealt with, but things aren’t going to get easier in China any time soon with domestic automakers continually upping their game and eating into Western brands’ market share.

BMW Group sales

BMW (and Mini) sales dropped 2.1 percent YTD and 9.2 percent in Q3 in the US, and gained 1.4 percent YTD in Europe where they fell by just 1 percent in Q3. But Chinese drivers bought 13.1 percent fewer BMWs in the first nine months of 2024 and registrations tanked by a shocking 29.8 percent in the third quarter, whereas Mercedes was only down 1 percent.

Sporty BMW M cars got away relatively lightly compared with the firm’s other combustion vehicles. Its sales were up 2 percent YTD and down 3.9 percent in Q3. Rolls-Royce – which must be feeling the heat in China – can only dream about such positive stats. Its sales were down 12.8 percent YTD and 16.2 percent in Q3. Hopefully the arrival of the facelifted Ghost will help move the needle in the other direction.  

Mini also took a hefty hit, its deliveries plunging 20.9 percent Jan-Sep and 25.2 percent in Q3, though much of that can be blamed on the brand replacing its entire model line. Or at least that’s what Mini bosses will be hoping.

BMW Group sales by region