A £500 million investment plan by BMW has been revealed that confirms production of the next generation of MINI cars will remain in the UK.
The investment will occur over the next three years as new models come on stream at MINI's Oxford plant. This secures 5,000 jobs at the assembly plant in Oxford, the engine factory at Hams Hall and the Swindon-based pressings plant.
BMW's Chairman of the Board, Norbert Reithofer, made the announcement after a meeting with Prime Minister, David Cameron. Reithofer said: "We have started preparing our UK plants for production of the next generation MINI and this investment underlines that the UK will remain the heart of MINI production. 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."
The Prime Minister added: "This is a tremendous vote of confidence in the skills and capabilities of BMW's British workforce and in the future of UK manufacturing."
More than two million MINI cars have been produced at the UK factory, with more than 1.5 million of those being exported outside of Britain.
Alisdair Suttie - 9 Jun 2011