The German automotive manufacturer BMW announced on Monday an investment of more than 600 million pounds (700 million euros) in the electrification of Mini cars in the United Kingdom, and aims for 100% electrification of its Oxford factory from 2030. .
“This investment is supported by the British government and will continue to guarantee jobs at the Oxford factory” and also “at the bodywork factory in Swindon”, located 100 km west of London, the company announced in a statement.
The British executive will invest, but the amount of the subsidy given to BMW was not yet confirmed on Monday. British media put it at 75 million pounds (over 87 million euros).
The government has been looking for months to relaunch efforts in the electric car industry.
In July, the United Kingdom achieved an investment of 4,000 million pounds (4,700 million euros) from the Indian giant Tata, owner of Jaguar Land Rover, in a large battery factory.
The investment will facilitate guaranteeing the conservation of “4,000 qualified jobs,” according to a statement from the Ministry of Business and Commerce.
Although the electric Mini models will also be produced in Germany and China, BMW has ensured that Oxford remains the center of the brand.
Presented on the market in 1959, originally produced by the British group BMC, the small English car became a tremendous commercial success over the years and a symbol of Britishness in the 1960s.
Bought by BMW in 1994 as part of the acquisition of the Rover group, the German group gave it a new impetus in 2001.
The Mini Electric has been produced in Oxford since 2019 and production of the two new electrified models, the Mini Cooper 3 and the Mini Aceman, will begin in the United Kingdom in 2026, BMW said in its statement.
