After 47 years of joining the EU, the United Kingdom officially left the European Union (EU) at 11 pm (2300 GMT) on January 31, ending the 47-year history of the world’s largest Membership in a trading group.
As we face the transition period of Brexit, a series of economic and tax transformation issues are coming one after another, affecting all local industries, and the automobile industry is certainly no exception. Among them, the Mini car, which is quite representative of the local area, has announced that the parent company BMW Group will postpone the launch of the next generation Mini hatchback!
As an international car brand, one of the problems Mini has to face is the tariff issue when exporting cars. Although British Prime Minister Johnson has previously stated that he would follow the "Canadian model" and hope to reach a Canadian or Australian-style free trade agreement with the EU, and hopes to establish low-tariff trade agreements with EU countries in the future, related issues are still under the unilateral call of the UK. .
Although the dream of low tariffs or even zero tariffs is wonderful, if it is implemented, Mini's business should not be significantly affected. However, regarding the unstable situation of the authorities, BMW Group spokesperson Maximilian Schoeberl also said frankly: "In order to cope with the impact of Brexit and reduce expenses, the Mini hatchback currently on the market will continue to be mass-produced."
It has been nearly six years since the Mini hatchback was launched in 2014. It is also the first batch of mass-produced products equipped with the UKL?I module platform. According to the cycle theory, it is now close to the end of the original preset product. However, Mini plans to extend the production schedule of current models, and the development of the next-generation new car will also be postponed. Foreign media also stated that reducing power options and canceling manual gearboxes are possible projects.
In fact, it costs about 7.6 billion yuan equivalent to RMB to develop a new car chassis, and its service life is usually 6 years. Therefore, in recent years, many car companies have begun to increase the introduction of modular technology and use common materials on different car series or new and old models. This is precisely to reduce the high cost of new car development.
Mini itself may know best the strategy of extending production of the hatchback, and foreign media predict that this will enable Mini to save the parent group approximately 90 billion yuan in funds by 2022. The future belongs to the world of electric vehicles, and this capital is expected to be invested in the development of electric energy.
Written at the end:
At the same time that global car companies are trying to reduce production costs, Mini unfortunately encountered a major political event such as "Brexit". It is an embarrassing situation. Whether it is the production line in the UK or the factory moved to the Netherlands, there are costs everywhere. I don’t know whether BMW will reduce its focus on Mini. Consumers may have to wait and see.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.