Mini Aceman and Cooper EVs to be built in Oxford from 2026

Mini volition physique its new Cooper electrical hatch and Aceman crossover successful the UK from 2026, with genitor steadfast BMW Group investing much than £600 cardinal successful an electrification programme for the brand’s mill successful Oxford and assemblage pressing works successful Swindon.

The announcement volition travel arsenic reassurance for Mini’s 4000 oregon truthful UK workers, each of whom are expected to clasp their jobs arsenic the plants modulation to gathering the brand’s caller EVs.

The German giant’s determination confirms Autocar’s erstwhile study that EVs would instrumentality to Oxford aft the exit of the current-generation Electric hatch successful the coming months.

Oxford volition besides physique petrol-engined versions of the caller Cooper (in three-door, five-door and convertible forms) until 2030, erstwhile it volition power to 100% EV production.

Mini aims for the works to scope an output of 200,000 cars of some types annually successful the “medium term” but hasn’t said however galore EVs it expects to physique determination annually from 2030.

The works presently pushes retired up to 1000 cars a time – the equivalent of 1 each 67sec.

The electrical Cooper and the Aceman (both based connected a caller level co-developed with Chinese joint-venture spouse Great Wall Motor) volition besides beryllium built successful China for the section marketplace and, from their motorboat successful 2024 until Oxford starts EV accumulation successful 2026, for planetary markets.

The BMW Group’s £600m concern is partially supported by the UK government, though to what grade hasn’t been confirmed.

The wealth volition chiefly money an hold of the assemblage shop, the operation of a caller country for artillery installation and caller logistics facilities successful Oxford and Swindon, said Mini.

Business and commercialized caput Kemi Badenoch hailed the concern arsenic “a large ballot of assurance successful the UK system and the enactment of this authorities to guarantee the continued spot of our world-beating automotive sector”.

She said: “We’re arrogant to beryllium capable to enactment BMW Group’s investment, which volition unafraid high-quality jobs, fortify our proviso chains and boost Britain’s economical growth.”

No artillery supplier has been named for the Oxford-built EVs, but the BMW Group already works with Samsung and CATL, the second of which is gathering a artillery mill successful Germany.

This twelvemonth marks 110 years of the works (sometimes known arsenic Cowley), which pioneered wide accumulation successful the UK with the Morris ‘Bullnose’ saloon earlier the outbreak of World War I. Cowley was besides location to Morris Minor accumulation for much than 2 decades. 

It started producing the BMW Group’s archetypal Mini successful 2000 and 19 years aboriginal began gathering the electrical mentation of the existent hatch.

That accounted for a 4th of the plant’s output past year, making it the UK’s biggest shaper of EVs. Some 3400 radical are employed there.

Mini brag Stefanie Wurst said: “To radical successful the UK, I tin inactive spot that Mini is regarded arsenic your baby, due to the fact that it was calved determination and has been determination for a agelong time. We inactive telephone Oxford the bosom of our brand. I anticipation and I deliberation we instrumentality bully attraction of it. Mini has a precise beardown heritage, and that is being modernised and fixed a aboriginal now, and I anticipation that facet is felt successful the UK arsenic well.”

She added: “The continuing precocious request for our locally emission-free vehicles shows the openness of the planetary Mini assemblage to electromobility, which we volition beryllium capable to service optimally successful the future, besides acknowledgment to Oxford.”

The bigger new Countryman SUV – disposable with electrical and petrol powerfulness – volition beryllium built exclusively successful Leipzig, Germany, sharing a enactment with its BMW X1 sibling.

Read more: Why Mini's Oxford works is turning its backmost connected EVs – for now