Mini contract gives UK’s car industry £500m lift
BMW is ploughing an extra £500m into UK manufacturing with an agreement to build its next generation of Minis here.
Chairman Norbert Reithofer said yesterday that the extra contract, for the next three years, demonstrates that “the UK will remain the heart of Mini production” and will take the company’s UK investment to more than £1.5bn since 2000.
The announcement, made after a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron at Downing Street, follows Nissan’s news on Wednesday that the next version of its popular Qashqai will be designed and made in Britain.
Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn said the project represents a £192m investment in Britain and will safeguard 6,000 jobs in the UK.
BMW said yesterday that most of its money will go towards new production facilities and equipment at its Oxford Mini plant, safeguarding over 5,000 jobs.
The company revealed its strategy is to link its production location with its largest markets. The UK is BMW Group’s fourth-largest single market for sales, behind only Germany, the US and China, with 154,750 sales last year for BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce.