BMW will make investments £600 million to construct electrical Minis within the UK

Time to ring the excellent news klaxon: BMW is investing important wedges of money in electrical MINI manufacturing within the UK. The German carmaker is ready to refurbish its Oxford and Swindon areas to the tune of £600 million so it could construct the three-door Mini Cooper and compact crossover Mini Aceman in Blighty.

In what looks like a little bit of a U-turn (in actual fact, most positively a U-turn), BMW will relocate manufacturing of those two new all-electric Mini fashions in 2026. As a substitute of being inbuilt China, they’ll be constructed right here.

BMW additionally has plans to go fully electrical (a la Stellantis) at Oxford from 2030.

The announcement will defend some 3,400 Oxford jobs and an extra 600 in Swindon. At the moment there are 1,000 Minis constructed day by day. As soon as the refurbishments are accomplished, BMW expects to max out capability, producing 200,000 automobiles per 12 months (up from the c.188,000 produced final 12 months.) It is also price noting BMW exports some 80 per cent of its automobiles, too. 

Stefanie Wurst, head of the Mini model, mentioned: “Mini has at all times been conscious of its historical past – Oxford is and stays the center of the model. The persevering with excessive demand for our regionally emission-free automobiles exhibits the openness of the worldwide Mini neighborhood to electromobility, which we will serve optimally sooner or later, additionally because of Oxford”.

Mike Hawes, SMMT boss, mentioned: “BMW’s landmark announcement is yet one more vote of confidence in UK automotive manufacturing. Not solely does it safe the long-term way forward for the house of one of many world’s most iconic manufacturers, it additionally demonstrates as soon as once more our capabilities in electrical automobile manufacturing.

“British automotive manufacturing has clear benefits – a talented, extremely productive workforce, innovative crops, a various vibrant provide chain and world-class R&D – all of which we should proceed to advertise within the face of fierce international competitors. Investments equivalent to this enhance productiveness and assist ship jobs, development and financial advantages for the nation.”

In latest months, there have been plenty of bulletins about funding into British-based electrical automobile manufacturing and improvement. The largest shout was about JLR’s dad or mum firm Tata brokering a take care of the federal government to open a battery manufacturing facility in Bridgwater, price a whopping £4 billion.

And there was the gallant rescue of the failed “Britishvolt” Blyth-based gigafactory by Australian start-up, Recharge industries.

Virtually a 12 months in the past, Ford introduced plans to take a position £125 million into EV part manufacturing at its Halewood plant in Merseyside. Equally, since 2021, Nissan has been engaged on a £1bn undertaking to create an extra 6,000 jobs at its plant in Sunderland.

The context? Battery electrical automobiles (BEVs) account for over 16 per cent of all new vehicles offered within the UK thus far, based on SMMT knowledge.