BMW to invest in UK plants to take Mini fully electric

BMW said on Monday that it will spend 600 million pounds ($750 million) in its UK operations to convert its venerable Mini brand to all-electric by 2030, ending years of uncertainty brought on by Brexit.

The Mini Cooper 3-door and the compact crossover Mini Aceman will be built in Oxford by the German luxury automaker beginning in 2026. By 2030, the facility will solely make electric vehicles.

The same two models will also be produced in China, and shipments will start in 2024.

To make the investment announcement, British Business Minister Kemi Badenoch will go to the Oxford location. This expenditure takes the entire recent automotive investment to $48 billion, according to the government.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that BMW’s investment “is another shining example of how the UK is the best place to build cars of the future.”

The firm made the claim that the UK government supported the investment but gave no further information.

BMW will also make an investment in the Swindon, UK, facility that makes Mini car parts. What will happen to the engine manufacture at Hams Hall has not been disclosed by the firm.

The original Mini, a little, inexpensive, and quick car, was introduced in 1959 and has maintained its appeal under BMW since the company resurrected the brand in 2001. However, the Mini’s future in the UK has been in limbo for a number of years.

The post-Brexit “rules of origin” mandate that starting in 2024, 45% of the value of an electric vehicle (EV) sold in the European Union must originate in the UK or the EU in order to avoid tariffs. But both British and European businesses are asking for a delay in these rules.