New MINI in £500m UK boost

BMW has confirmed the next new MINI will be built in Britain, as part of a £500m investment in the group’s UK production network.

Half a billion pounds will be invested other the next three years in BMW’s production facilities, including the MINI plant in Oxford.

This will make the next all-new MINI, which is due to be revealed in late 2012.

“The UK will remain the heart of MINI production,” said Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the board of management of BMW AG, during a visit to London today (Thursday 9 June).

“The MINI brand has made a significant contribution to BMW Group’s success in markets around the world and we anticipate that this will grow further in the future.”

MINI Plant Oxford will be the focus of the £500m investment. This has produced almost 2 million new MINIs since 2001 – with more than 1.5 million of them being exported in that time.

Most of the £500m will be spent on new production facilities and equipment for the famous plant which has a long history of British car manufacturing.

5,000 jobs have thus been secured, at the BMW Hams Hall engine plant and MINI pressings plant in Swindon, as well as at MINI Plant Oxford.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: “It is a tremendous vote of confidence in the skills and capabilities of the company’s British workforce and in the future of UK manufacturing.

“The MINI plant in Oxford has been one of our great manufacturing success stories – they should be hugely proud of their achievements.”

Indeed, MINI is bigger than you might think. Last year, it was the third-largest vehicle manufacturer in the UK, accounting for 17% of all cars built here. It produced 216,302 cars last year, which were exported to more than 90 countries.

The Hams Hall plant also made 385,051 engines, a production record that represented 16% of UK engine production.

BMW Group activities themselves contribute £1.2 billion each year to the UK GDP: the Group employs 18,000 people directly, and supports 46,000 UK jobs in total.

Overall, BMW has invested £1.5 billion in the UK since 2000