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News of May 08, 2002

International Success of MINI Signals - Further Investment and Employment for the UK Motor Industry

MINI Cooper S

Photo: MINI/BMW

Oxford - The international success of the new MINI range, produced at BMW Group Plant Oxford, has resulted in a further £50 million investment at the factory to increase production and productivity, BMW Group announced.

The world-wide customer reaction to the MINI, MINI Cooper and the soon to be launched MINI Cooper S has also led to the creation of 700 more permanent jobs at Oxford and a further 300 jobs at the BMW Group Pressings plant at Swindon and 150 jobs at the Group's transmission factory in the West Midlands, which supplies MINI gearboxes.

In the 12 months since the start of full production - on April 26 2001 - employment at Plant Oxford has risen from 2,400 to around 4,500 with the early introduction of three shift, seven days working, 51 weeks a year.

Speaking in Oxford, Dr Norbert Reithofer, BMW Board Member for Production said: "The MINI is clearly an international success story. Customer reaction around the world has been astounding. People have been camping outside dealers in the United States for a test-drive and showrooms in Japan had to be closed for a while to cope with the numbers of people wanting to see the car."

"We had planned to produced 30,000 cars to the end of last year but the actual figure was more than 42,000. With further production rises already this year Plant Oxford will product the 100,000th MINI during the month of May - just 13 months after the start of volume production" said Dr Reithofer.

Investment at the plant will include measures to improve productivity and flexibility, develop the site infrastructure and introduce the MINI Cooper S.

The MINI range will be available in 50 markets throughout the world by the end of 2002, with the United States, Europe and Japan being major markets for the car. About 75 per cent of sales are expected to be for the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S models.

In the UK market, MINI sales in the first quarter of 2002 continued to rise with 10,595 units delivered to customers out of total sales of more than 25,000 MINIs throughout Europe.

(May 3, 2002)

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