Mini will build its new Cooper electric hatch and Aceman crossover in the UK from 2026, with parent firm BMW Group investing more than £600 million in an electrification programme for the brand’s factory in Oxford and body pressing plant in Swindon.
The announcement will come as reassurance for Mini’s 4000 or so UK workers, all of whom are expected to retain their jobs as the plants transition to building the brand’s new EVs.
The German giant’s move confirms Autocar’s previous report that EVs would return to Oxford after the exit of the current-generation Electric hatch in the coming months.
Oxford will also build petrol-engined versions of the new Cooper (in three-door, five-door and convertible forms) until 2030, when it will switch to 100% EV production.
Mini aims for the plant to reach an output of 200,000 cars of both types annually in the “medium term” but hasn’t said how many EVs it expects to build there annually from 2030.
The plant currently pushes out up to 1000 cars a day – the equivalent of one every 67sec.
The electric Cooper and the Aceman (both based on a new platform co-developed with Chinese joint-venture partner Great Wall Motor) will also be built in China for the local market and, from their launch in 2024 until Oxford starts EV production in 2026, for global markets.
The BMW Group’s £600m investment is partially supported by the UK government, although to what extent hasn’t been confirmed.
The money will chiefly fund an extension of the body shop, the construction of a new area for battery installation and new logistics facilities in Oxford and Swindon, said Mini.
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Can we have less political sniping. This is a forum for car enthusiasts to give informed opinion and comment. Regardless of what we think of Brexit I think we should welcome BMW investment and the Govt contribution. I'm sure many will think the Govt should have higher priorities than giving £75m to a German company but this is the price that has to be paid when the Govt has no long term industrial strategy and then wakes up rather late in the day to save to save high quality jobs not just at BMW but in rhe UK supply chain but the wider local economy. The Covid and Ukrainian war was a wake up call to companies to not become dependent upon one source of supply and China's behaviour has prompted the US to throw enormous sums at companies to bring manufacturing back to the US and slap higher tariffs on imports from China. We should count ourselves lucky that Plant Oxford has been a beneficiary of these global trade tensions. Both the US and the EU are going become more protectionist so as to negate any cost advantages China derives from their low labour costs and the economies of scale from being able to feed a huge home market.
Brexit this, or that.. all irrelevent, ALL European car manufacturing is doomed eventually anyway. Whilst the Chinese were turning out low tech death traps they didn't matter, but they learn fast and are catching up light speed quick. Simply Chinese workers don't need to afford a 400K house in an Oxford suburb, 3 weeks holiday to Alicante a year and a £60 Just Eat delivery every Friday night. When the same low labour costs run all the way back through the supply chain from components to finished car shipping its inevitable.
Shame they're not going the whole hog and helping BMW expand the Cowley site area so they could produce more variants and volume rather than overseas.
And what about the future of the previously very successful engine plant at Hams Hall?