. RECORD MINI PRODUCTION IN 2005 - 200,000TH
MINI PRODUCED
Photo: MINI
Oxford - The MINI
manufacturing facility at BMW Group Plant Oxford built its 200,000th
car in 2005 during one of the last production shifts of the year.
The Pepper White MINI Cooper S Convertible destined for its owner
in Australia was the 766,290th vehicle built at the plant since
MINI production started in April 2001. Plant Oxford is the only
MINI production facility in the world.
The Oxford plant’s
managing director Dr Anton Heiss said: "We're delighted to have
reached this important milestone in line with the demands of the
market. BMW Group Plant Oxford has beaten its initial forecast of
a maximum production volume of 100,000 units every full production
year since MINI’s launch and has now doubled that figure in 2005.
“It’s thanks to
the hard work, flexibility and commitment from the plant’s associates
that we have been able to achieve this. It’s a great way to end
the year for everyone at the plant."
The plant’s
growth in recent years has been based on continuous efficiency
improvements in the production process and innovative working
time models.
Between
2000 and 2004, the BMW Group invested a total of £280 million
in the production of MINI vehicles in Oxford. In February
of this year it was announced that a further £100 million
is to be invested by 2007 adding a further 200 jobs to the
plant’s existing workforce of 4,500.
Most of this investment
is in further optimisation of production capacities, allowing the plant
to react to the high demand for MINI throughout the world, as well as increasing
production flexibility of the various MINI model variants.
To allow this work to progress
and minimise disruption to production, the plant is extending its Christmas
shutdown and will re-open on 13 January 2006.
