BMW is electrifying small factories in the UK

workers of the Mini factories are one of the brands of the German BMW Group located in the United Kingdom They can breathe easily. BMW confirmed that it will invest more than $600 million £ (699 million euros) at the factories of its subsidiary Mini in Oxford and Swindon (United Kingdom) for Converting it into a fully electric production center from 2030. Public aid of around €88 million helped BMW decide to continue investing in the UK.

The Oxford plant is preparing to produce two new all-electric Mini models from 2026, the three-door Mini Cooper and the Mini Aceman compact crossover. The plant currently produces the MINI three-door, the MINI five-door, as well as the MINI “Clubman” and the MINI “Electric”.

In the medium term, the factory will reach a production capacity of about 200,000 cars annually, and initially combustion and battery-powered electric cars will be manufactured on the same production line. All this, with the aim of production volume in 2030 being exclusively electric, following an investment estimated by the BMW Group at £3,000 million (€3,500 million) in its factories in Swindon, Hams Hall and Oxford since 2000.

Support to save jobs

BMW’s investment will receive public aid amounting to about 75 million pounds sterling (about 88 million euros), equivalent to more than 11% of the cost of the industrial project, according to British media. The BMW Group noted that this development has been supported by the UK Government and will help secure jobs at the Oxford manufacturing plant and at the vehicle body pressing facilities in Swindon.

UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch was “proud” to support the BMW Group’s investment, which will secure “high-quality jobs, strengthen the country’s supply chains and boost Britain’s economic growth”. .

“With this new investment we want to prepare the Oxford plant for the production of the new generation of electric MINIs and pave the way for the manufacture of purely electric cars in the future,” explained a responsible member of the BMW Board of Directors. Production Milan Nedeljkovic said in a statement.