Mini celebrated the 3 millionth vehicle built at its Oxford plant in the UK, as well as 2 million exports since the brand’s re-launch in 2001.
The special-anniversary vehicle is a Mini 5-door which features a Union Jack paint scheme. Mini currently produces five models at its Oxford plant: the hatch, 5-door, Convertible, Roadster and Coupé. Since the plant’s modernization in 2001, the workforce has grown from 2,400 people who produced around 300 cars a day to around 4,000 people who build around 1,000 Mini cars per day.
80 percent of the Minis produced in Oxford are exported, making the brand the third-largest vehicle exporter in the UK. The UK is Mini’s second-largest market worldwide after the US.
“Today, we mark two important milestones for Mini. Three million Minis produced, and two million Minis exported from Oxford to customers worldwide. These are impressive figures and definitely a reason to celebrate. In markets big and small, Mini has always appealed to customers on an emotional level,” said Board of Management member Peter Schwarzenbauer.
The BMW Group has invested a total of around £1.75 billion in its British plants since 2000 and is investing a total of £750 million in its UK production network, between 2012 and 2015 alone. The BMW Group produced a total of 303,177 Mini-brand vehicles in 2013, of which 175,986 units were built at the Oxford plant. A further 125,559 units of the Mini Countryman and Mini Paceman were contract-manufactured at MSF Graz in Austria and other assembly plants in Asia.
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