BMW adds electric Minis to Oxford factory

Battery powered Minis will be built in Britain, BMW has said, confirming its Oxford plant as the site to assemble electric cars from 2019.

The electric drivetrain will be made at specialist e-mobility plants in Dingolfing and Landshut, Germany, before installation on the three-door Mini’s built at Oxford.

Oliver Zipse, BMW Production Manager, said: “BMW Plants Dingolfing and Landshut play a leading role within our global production network as the company’s global competence centre for electric mobility. Our adaptable production system is innovative and able to react rapidly to changing customer demand. If required, we can increase production of electric drivetrain motor components quickly and efficiently, in line with market developments.”

Like other major car manufacturers, BMW is transferring drivetrain designs to electric, and hopes to provide an electric option for all its models. It says it has benefited from its early start on the road to electrification, with a large scale electric vehicle trial that began world-wide in 2008 with the MINI E. Learnings from this project played a crucial role in the subsequent development of the BMW i3 and BMW i8, technology pioneers which themselves informed the company’s current range of plug-in hybrid vehicles.