BMW will also be building the electric Mini in England with government support. The Munich car manufacturer announced on Monday that more than 600 million pounds would be invested in the Swindon and Oxford locations. From 2026, the two new fully electric models Mini Cooper as a three-door and Mini Aceman will be built there. The government in London supports the conversion of the plants. The British Ministry of Economic Affairs stated that BMW would secure 4,000 jobs through the investment. Economy Minister Kemi Badenoch said supply chains would also be strengthened and economic growth stimulated.
The decision is a vote of confidence in the British economy. BMW explained that initially electric and conventionally powered vehicles will be produced together in the more than 100-year-old factory. From 2030 onwards, only electric cars will be built. In total, BMW will then have invested more than three billion pounds in the Swindon, Hams Hall and Oxford plants. The Munich-based company has already announced that it will only produce Mini and Rolls-Royce electric cars by 2030.
In addition to the English factories, Mini has a production facility in China; A model is also being built at the BMW factory in Leipzig. In the People’s Republic, the electric mini models are manufactured in a joint venture with Great Wall Motor and are scheduled to be exported worldwide from the beginning of 2024.
The government in London did not give any figures as to how much money it would provide to BMW for converting the systems. Total investment in the automotive sector in recent years has amounted to over six billion pounds (seven billion euros), it said. Just two months ago, the Indian Tata Group announced that it would invest the equivalent of 4.6 billion euros in building a battery plant in Great Britain. Experts see the move by Jaguar Land Rover’s parent company as crucial for the continued survival of the British car industry in the electric age.