MINI now has plans to build at least some of the vehicles in the UK, which will beat the tariff, provide a more authentic MINI, and enable continued presence in the U.S.
In November 2019, a local Chinese government, Great Wall Motor, and the BMW Group jointly announced the launch of a new venture, Spotlight Automotive Limited. The plant was planned to have a capacity of up to 160,000 vehicles per year and is expected to employ approximately 3,000 workers once full production begins. The total investment from both partners was estimated to be around €650 million .
At the time, BMW did announced that MINI Plant Oxford will remain the heart of MINI manufacturing, while the Spotlight Automotive joint venture will provide additional capacity and flexibility. But, since the announcement, the automotive press indicates that the company went a lot deeper into Chinese production, perhaps even considering doing nearly all of the production there.
“With this new investment we will develop the Oxford plant for production of the new generation of electric MINIs and set the path for purely electric car manufacturing in the future,” said Milan Nedeljković, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for production. The Oxford plant marked its 110th anniversary this year and has been producing the current MINI Electric since 2019, fully integrated into the production line alongside conventional models.
The factory aims to produce approximately 200,000 cars annually in the medium term. Initially, both internal combustion engine and battery electric vehicles will be manufactured on the same production line. However, starting from 2030, the Oxford Plant will exclusively produce all-electric MINI models. Production of the new MINI Countryman will start soon at the BMW Group plant in Leipzig. This larger crossover model will be available with both electric and combustion engines.
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