There are several production EVs/plug-in hybrids set to launch in 2010-2012, so it may be prudent to wait for these cars instead. I'm seriously considering it.

I think it would be wise to talk directly to the MINI folks about their outrageous lease pricing. Tell your local dealer rep. that they should consider re-pricing their lease. (It never hurts to negotiate!) And all the beta testers should contact the MINI heads in NJ to voice their concern. MINI priced this vehicle back before the economy took a nose dive. The MINI VP's name is James McDowell and he's at 300 Chestnut Ridge Road, Woodcliff Lake, NJ, 07677-7731. I don't have an e-mail address unfortunately. But you can always e-mail their customer rep. guy, Sal Talarico, sal.talarico@miniusa.com . (Maybe McDowell's is jim.mcdowell@miniusa.com or james.mcdowell@miniusa.com. Just a guess....)

Also, it's interesting to note that the Berlin testers are paying significantly less than the US testers for the exact same product.

We'll see how it all plays out....

 

I think the 50 MINI E cars in Berlin are part of a test to evaluate both the cars themselves and the public charging stations that are being deployed. As such, the project is being subsidized by a couple of universities and an electric company, which is probably why the end-user cost is lower.

 

I'll bet some MINI-E drivers will be done with their 1 year lease around the time that those cars are starting to launch. So you could do both...

 

It seems like the testrides in Berlin are over for now. Last month there has been a small meeting with all testriders where they had the chance to talk about their opinion on the MINI E. You can read some statements over here.