This is an update for those NAM members who have an interest in how the Mini E program is progressing. We just passed the halfway point in our leases, and word from Mini is that some or all of us will be offered a 1 year lease extension. The big question is what the cost will be. Most drivers, as discussed on our Facebook group, feel the rate needs to be significantly less than the current $850/month. Less than $500/month seems to be the agreed upon magic number. I'm sure some would extend even at the $850 rate, and I guess it just depends on how many cars BMW wants to keep in current driver's hands.

As an added incentive to signing up for another year we may be allowed to transition into the all electric BMW ActiveE which is planned for introduction in the summer of 2011. This car is a 1 series conversion which will retain the back seat and trunk, unlike the current Mini E which sacrifices most of that space for the battery pack. Details on the car are here:
http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...s/ActiveE.aspx

The nice thing about transitioning us Mini E drivers to the ActiveE is that our current wall boxes would work for charging. Getting the wall boxes installed in the first place turned out to be a bigger hassle than I think BMW anticipated as previous threads on this forum show.

As for me, I would gladly sign up for another year but it would have to be at a lower rate than I currently pay which is nearly $925/mo. when you include taxes. My #059 has been a great car to drive with only a few glitches in the beginning. And I would love to get the ActiveE once it is available since the 1 Series was on my list of possible "next cars" before I got involved in the Mini E program. We'll see!

 

We got the word today that we can extend our leases another year for $600/month, a $250 reduction from the first year's $850/mo. A significant reduction, but still higher than what we were hoping for. We have until the end of March to decide, and it sounds like the cars that are given up will be sent out of the US (probably to Europe) for continued use.

 

Stan,
I'm in. I was really hoping to see it around $500, but financially it's still s great deal for me. I'm driving the car 30,000 miles a year so my fuel savings compared to driving my 2009 Tacoma is about $3,500/year. Plus no maintenance at all and I don't take a 30,000 depreciation hit on the Tacoma. I won't need a set of tires and I won't be close to a new set of brake pads. When I add it all up, the $600/month is very inexpensive for me. It sounds like a lot because you're paying up front monthly, but the overall cost for me is much less in the long run. Plus, the car is a a blast to drive and I'd still like to continue to be part of the beginning of the transition to electrics.