BMW Group announced plans to invest about $750 million in a UK facility of its Mini sub-brand. The money will be used to revamp the Oxford plant to support electric MINI production as the brand looks to go 100% EV in the coming years.
In the spring of 2021, BMW Group marque MINI shared intentions to stop selling gas cars entirely by 2030. That being said, the full transition to electric vehicles won’t truly begin until 2025, when MINI introduces its last gas model in 2025.
As MINI looks to further electrify its current range of models, it has introduced a few more that brand loyalists can get excited about. First, we covered a limited run convertible version of the Cooper SE (pictured above) being produced this year. In the summer of 2022, MINI also introduced new concept called the Aceman (seen below), which offers a preview of its first all-electric crossover.
The Aceman, as well as an all-electric MINI Cooper 3-door, will be produced at an existing site in the UK following a fresh investment from parent company BMW Group.
Revamped UK plant to make MINI 100% electric by 2030
According to details shared by BMW Group today, its investment in MINI’s UK production will eclipse £600 million (~$752 million) and will support the compact automaker in “gearing up” to build the two new aforementioned electric models beginning in 2026.
BMW shared that by 2030, production volume will be 100% electric and the Group’s investment in its Swindon, Hams Hall, and Oxford facilities in the UK will surpass £3 billion since 2000. The Oxford plant, specifically, has only been home to electric MINI production since 2019 but will celebrate its 110th anniversary this year. Nonetheless, EV production will not only continue but will expand. MINI head Stefanie Wurst elaborated:
MINI has always been aware of its history – Oxford is and remains the heart of the brand. I am delighted that the two new, fully electric MINI models – the MINI Cooper and MINI Aceman – are also being produced in Oxford, thereby confirming our path to a fully electric future. The continuing high demand for our locally emission-free vehicles shows the openness of the global MINI community to electromobility, which we will be able to serve optimally, also thanks to Oxford.
While the Oxford facility is prepped for bolstered EV production, MINI says assembly of the upcoming Cooper 3-door and Aceman will begin in China, with exports to commence in early 2024. From 2026 to 2030, electric MINI production will take place beside the BMW brand’s combustion models like the five-door and Clubman.
Author: Scooter Doll
Source: Electrek
