BMW plans to cut all UK production of the electric Mini and relocate it to China, as per The Guardian.
It comes off as a blow to UK’s ambition to be a global hub for zero-emission vehicle manufacture as BMW produces 40,000 electric Minis per year at the Cowley factory on the outskirts of Oxford.
In an article by the Times on Saturday, production will end next year as a part of plans to reshape the carmaker’s line-up from 2024. It is another hit for UK’s goal to become a global electric car manufacturing leader.
It follows Honda’s decision to quit Britain after leaving the European Union in 2016.
BMW’s joint venture with Great Wall Motors will have their hatchback, small SUV models, and next-generation zero-emission Mini Aceman to be produced in east China. BMW has also confirmed that the new electric version of the largest Mini model, the Countryman, will be manufactured at its plant in Leipzig.
The announcement followed confirmation by Mini boss Stefanie Wurst last week. In addition, a convertible model will join the new Mini Cooper range. It will launch in 2024 and will be ‘coming home’ in 2025 with production at the Mini Oxford factory in the UK.
Petrol Mini Coopers will be manufactured in Oxford in three-door, five-door, and convertible forms for export to markets in the US, Japan, and the Middle East. The company confirms it will not halt production of internal combustion engine Minis until 2030.
Moreover, there have been speculations that BMW wants to sell the Cowley factory to Great Wall. However, Wurst denied the statement saying, “Oxford will always be the home of Mini.”
She further explained that the decision to halt the electric Mini assembly in the UK is not linked to post-Brexit supply constraints, cross-border friction with the EU, or the lack of a nearby gigafactory. But it’s because it was inefficiently running as the plant produces electric and petrol cars at the same line.
She explained that when electric Minis were to be built again in Britain, it would be on an assembly-line platform developed by Great Wall and that the existing Cowley lines would be stripped out as part of a major factory overhaul.
“Oxford is not geared up for electric vehicles,” she said. “It will need renovation and investment.” And when asked when electric Minis will return to Oxford, she said: “There is no date.”
“Maybe,” she answered when asked whether Oxford could build both Minis and Great Wall brands, such as Ora and Wey, in the future.
A Great Wall spokesman confirmed the possibility of producing its own vehicles at the Cowley plant has been the subject of ‘internal discussion.’
Furthermore, Wurst has dismissed the suggestion that British consumers may balk at buying a Mini made in China. She stated that she could ‘see no reason’ as UK motorists already purchase BMW models made in China.
“Oxford plays an important role in the BMW Group’s production strategy, with its high degree of flexibility, competitiveness and expertise and will remain at the heart of Mini production.” A spokesperson for BMW said.
