German automaker BMW has revealed plans to invest $750 million in the UK to support the production of the electric Mini starting in 2026. This will help BMW to achieve its goal of completely electrifying the popular car model.
BMW’s plant in Oxford will start with two electric models in 2026 – the Mini Cooper with three doors and the Mini Aceman compact crossover. The plant will exclusively produce battery-powered Minis from 2030. However, BMW will start producing the electric Mini in China in 2024 and export them to the rest of the world.
BMW also plans to invest in its Swindon plant, where it makes parts for the Mini. However, the carmaker is silent on the fate of its Hams Hall engine plant.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used BMW’s investment, which brings total investments in the UK automotive sector to over £6bn in recent years, to court other carmakers, describing it as an example of how the UK is the best place to build cars of the future.
The Mini was first produced in 1959 and was well-received thanks to its affordability, making it achieve iconic status. BWM resurrected the brand in the early 2000s.
BMW is making investments in EV production elsewhere. Last year, it announced it would spend $1bn at its Steyr, Austria plant to make electric powertrains.
