BMW has confirmed that the production of its new electric Mini will start in Cowley in November. The Mini electric cars will be on sale in March 2020.
Earlier this year BMW’s board member did say the company would have to consider moving car production out of the UK if there was a no-deal Brexit. However, now the head of Mini UK has saids the UK is staying in the car companies plans for now and the future.
“It is too early to say what the impact of Brexit will be,” David George told the BBC. “But as a business, we have committed and invested heavily over recent years in our production facilities in the UK, so we remain committed to UK production.
“The team here at Plant Oxford are incredibly proud that it’s been chosen to be the plant to launch the first all-electric Mini.”
The electric cars will have a list price of £24,400, after the government’s plug-in car grant of £3,500 has been applied. The plans for Mini will preserve 5,000 jobs of workers at the Oxford plant.
Oliver Zipse, the BMW board member in charge of production, said: “We are entering an era in which electric cars will become a normal choice for our customers.
“The Mini Electric will kick off our new model offensive for fully electric vehicles.”
There is plans that the company will launch 25 new electrificed models by 2023 with at least 13 full electric rather than hybrid. The company will also be producing its full-electric, hybrid, and internal combustion models which the same production lines meaning it will be easy to switch between fuel types by customer demand.
