Your Next MINI May Not Be Built in the UK
MINI is considering production outside the U.K.
Owned by BMW, MINI currently produces around 200,000 units a year at its factory in Oxford. But BMW has hinted MINI may move its production as a result of Brexit, with CEO Harald Krueger saying it was considering “different scenarios” to deal with any potential economic fallout.
Krueger admitted that the U.K. remains an important location for the automaker, but what happens in the future will depend on how Brexit is ultimately negotiated.
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BMW has factories around the world, including its largest which is in the U.S. in South Carolina. The company also opened an engine plant in China last year and is versatile enough to move MINI production to Germany if it needs to.
[Source: Independent]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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BMW have probably been looking for an excuse to end production in the UK for ages and move it back to Germany, well here it is....blame Brexit If they are stupid enough to do that then they deserve the massive slump in sales that will definitely follow.
Brexit will launch many problems for the UK as advertised. We can't all have our cake and eat it too. They're getting their country back, what ever that means. The tyranny of Europe must have been just way too tough to endure on that rocky little island. Stiff upper lip, now. No crying. Maybe the German's will rename Mini the Klein Kar if they move production to the mainland. By the way, the newest Mini is already based on a BMW platform. It stopped being remotely a Mini last generation. So it might be a tad "too tonic"(intentional misspelling) already instead of a British product, and still about as much fun to drive as you can get out on the roads these days.