- BMW Group, who previously planned to begin production of the latest fully-electric variants of the MINI Cooper and MINI Aceman at its Oxford plant in the UK from 2026, have now postponed the plans for the foreseeable future – citing ‘multiple uncertainties facing the automotive industry’.
- The upgrade to support high-scale electric vehicle production at the site was forecast to secure 4,000 EV industry related jobs, which are now left in waiting.
- The previous generation electric Cooper was already produced at the Cowley Oxford plant – but currently, MINI only produces ICE models at the Oxford site, while the BEV Cooper and Aceman models are made in China, and the BEV Countryman in Germany.
MINI Oxford plant pauses planned EV production
The upgrade work to support electric vehicle production at the site, which has now been paused, is pinned as a sizeable £600 million investment, including the construction of a dedicated battery installation area, improved production lines, and logistics-related upgrades for both the Oxford site and the nearby Swindon body panel site. As part of the paused upgrade, the OEM has decided to decline a £60 million grant from the government which was destined for the site’s EV-related upgrades.
For the timebeing, electric Cooper and Aceman models sold in both the UK and globally will continue to be imported from China. Once completed, the facility would also allow BMW to sell these specific models in the European Union while avoiding an additional tariff – which is currently set at 20.7% on BMW’s China-made EVs. For now, BMW will continue to be subject to these tariffs.
Previously, the plan was for the Oxford plant to solely produce fully-electric models from 2030. That’s also the date that the UK’s Labour government is hoping to pull forward the ban on new pure petrol and diesel cars to, with a recent consultation on the ZEV mandate coming to a close. With this postponing of the site upgrade, it remains to be seen whether that 2030 deadline for electric MINIs at Oxford will remain the case.
There is some silver lining for UK industry, however. With BMW noting that much of the work and investment to support the site in the EV era is already underway, the completed upgrade to the Oxford plant still certainly remains a question of not if, but when.
A Department for Transport spokesperson reacted to the news, saying:
“We recognise the global challenges car manufacturers face and have listened to their concerns by consulting on reinstating the 2030 EV deadline whilst also protecting jobs – a decision supported by a majority of manufacturers who have been working towards this date, and are on track to meet their ZEV mandate targets.
We’re investing over £2.3 billion to support industry and consumers make the switch, tapping into a multibillion-pound industry that will create high paid jobs for decades to come, make the UK a clean energy superpower and help deliver our Plan for Change.”
