This is the primary reason we *didn't* buy a new MINI last year...they didn't have a "regular" slushbox (and we absoluteley needed at least one auto trans car in the family).
This trans is "all-new"....I had visions of a transmission debacle with spings and gears falling out of the trans from below....just like the "all-new" Austin America slushbox I had years ago. Didn't want to take that chance with our day-to-day grocery getter.
The first application of this continously-variable trans was in the little Dutch DAF (now owned by Volvo) and FIAT built the trans under liscense for their 128. The ratio-change works on the same principle as the variable speed drive in my Bridgeport milling machines.
As it turned out, we bought a new Mazda Protege("regular" 4 spd. auto trans), which was cheap, comfortable and handles better than my daughter's WRX.