|
It’s a tremendous vote of
confidence in the skills and capabilities of the company’s
British workforce and in the future of UK manufacturing. The
MINI plant in Oxford has been one of our great manufacturing
success stories, they should be hugely proud of their
achievements. They have shown once again that the UK is a major
player in the global automotive industry.”
BMW Group’s strategy is that the
location of production is linked to the large markets for its
products. The UK is the BMW Group’s fourth-largest single market
in the world for sales, behind only Germany, the US and China,
with sales in 2010 across the BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands
totalling 154,750.
Producing 216,302 vehicles in 2010
and exporting to more than 90 countries across the globe, MINI
was the third-largest vehicle manufacturer in the UK, accounting
for 17 per cent of national automotive production. As part of
the expansion of the MINI product line-up, the MINI Coupé will
be launched in 2011, followed by the MINI Roadster in 2012 –
both of which will be produced in Oxford.
Business Secretary Vince Cable
said: "Today's announcement by BMW is a real tribute to the
success of British automotive manufacturing. The firm's
workforce in Oxford is now set to repeat the international
success of the current MINI in producing the next generation
model over the coming years. The competitiveness of automotive
manufacturing in this country is shown by the commitment of the
biggest global firms to make serious investments in long-term
production here and as a government we are determined to make
sure this success story remains a big part of the future
economic growth we must secure."
“Oxford has been the heart of MINI
for the last 10 years and we are proud of what has been achieved
here,” said Jürgen Hedrich, head of Plant Oxford. “Naturally we
are delighted to confirm that the next generation MINI will be
built here too and look forward to the continued worldwide
success of these great cars.”
The BMW Hams Hall engine plant,
close to Birmingham, set a new annual production record in 2010
with 385,051 engines, representing 16 per cent of total UK
engine production. Four-cylinder petrol engines are manufactured
at Hams Hall for both MINI and BMW models.
Rolls-Royces have been built in
the UK for 107 years and BMW Group is committed to continue this
tradition with its base at Goodwood in West Sussex. This has
been underlined by constant investment since the new company was
established in 2003 and this is set to continue as the brand
grows. In 2010 a new sales record was set with 2711 Rolls-Royce
Phantoms and Ghosts sold all over the world.
(09.06.2011)
|
