Ten years ago, BMW opened its Oxford, England assembly plant for the purpose of bring the Mini name back into the world. Some purist initially were skeptical about a German company building a historically British car, but BMW has shown that it knows how to make a proper small car. Proof of this was seen not too long ago, as the two-millionth Mini rolled off the assembly line and onto the city streets of England.
“This marks a tremendous milestone for Plant Oxford and its employees. Oxford has been the heart of MINI production for ten years. Our employees are proud to be part of this brand’s success,” said Jürgen Hedrig, head of Plant Oxford. British Prime Minister, David Cameron, was privileged enough to drive the two-millionth model, a specially painted Mini Convertible, off the line. BMW also recently announced a 500 million pound investment into UK Mini to support the production facilities, many of which cater to the Mini’s global success.
Plant Oxford doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. The next generation Mini, which is being worked on now, will be produced there. Last year, Oxford produced 216,302 units, which accounted for 17 percent of the UK’s automotive production. The two-millionth model marks a milestone for Mini and Plant Oxford as in 2001, there were only 2,400 employees building 300 cars a day. In 2011, those numbers are up to 3,700 and 900 respectively.
Source: BMW/Mini
