BMW has announced it will invest £250m in its three UK Mini plants by the end of 2015. The investment secures 5500 jobs across its main Oxford plant, its pressing operations in Swindon and its engine manufacturing facility at Hams Hall, Birmingham.
The move comes as Mini revealed it will introduce new models in the mid-term, taking the marque’s line-up to 10 different models.
Today’s announcement is in addition to the £500m investment announced in 2011. BMW has invested £1.75bn in UK production since 2000.
Harald Krüger, member of the board of management at the BMW Group, said: "BMW Group has even greater plans for the future development of the brand. Plant Oxford has played a major role in this with cars being exported to over 100 countries around the world. This additional investment is great news for all our employees in the UK and shows the BMW Group's commitment to Britain as a vital manufacturing base for us."
As part of Mini’s expansion, it is seeking production partners overseas. Krüger said: "Our preferred option is to establish a contract manufacturer as a satellite production as close to our UK operations as possible, at the Nedcar plant in the Netherlands, with whom BMW is in discussions."
The Nedcar plant, which has recently stopped producing cars for Mitsubishi, could be awarded the contract to produce the Countryman from Magna. Such a move would suggest the Paceman, a Countryman variant, would also be produced at Nedcar.
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How profitable is Mini?
Can someone please explain why BMW has (or will have) produced THREE 'iterations' of the Mini? Surely the massive costs involved have minimized (sorry) profits considerably? And this despite engine sharing and proliferation of model versions. Is the future range of TEN variants a desperate attempt at making a small car a real earner? But could front wheel drive baby BMWs erode these sales? (Feel free to answer these questions any BMW execs online!)
PS
Couldn't any changes have been included the original (new) Mini? I still struggle to separate first and second versions - have to see if it has the 'bustle' boot. And suspect few people will tell the difference when there are THREE Minis around (aesthetically or functionally). Unless it's the new 5-door model of course.
BMW investment in Mini
yep it is good news, but not good enough they should be building another factory, preferably in the Uk, rather than use a contractor in Holland ,that currently makes the Mitsubishi cars.
It is a waste of money ie the purchasers of the cars made there as both BMW and the contractor require to make profits .The Counrtyman made in Austria is a case in point overpriced and not a particularly good vehicle , look at the rating given in What Car and Top Gear.
Rights and Wrongs!
Must be good news that BMW are investing in the UK? Just a shame we never had anyone enterprising enough to do what they did. Not that we had a car industry that could have produced a car like the new Mini. When did we ever have any decent "British" cars to base anything on? BMC/BL. I think not. Everything else was already foreign owned. Regards.
petegeoff wrote:Must be
We have no shortage of talent and techical know how in this country to enable us to produce great cars. Sadly, we did not have the right management structure, industrial relations and efficient manufacturing processes to make the best of that talent. So our home grown car industry, once among the best, went belly up for the most part.
Still, it's good that there are more than a few foreign companies who clearly believe UK plants/employees can put together good cars under the right management and are happy to invest here. Long may it continue.