BMW to Make Major new Investment in UK

Jun 13 2011

The Group Chairman of BMW, Norbert Reithofer, says that the “outstanding” quality of the company’s workforce in the UK was a major motivation for its decision to plough another £500m into its Mini assembly plant in Oxford, the engine facilities near Birmingham and the pressing plant in Swindon.

Many patriotic UK car finance buyers will be happy to hear that BMW will save 5,000 jobs in the process.

Reithofer added that this investment will make sure that Britain remains at the “heart of Mini production.”

According to him, productivity and product quality at the company’s operations in the UK were in all respects on par with its U.S. and European plants.

Reithofer confirmed that the company planned to build the next generation of Minis at Oxford.  These, he said, might develop into a “brand family” with as many as ten different models.

At the same time Reithofer confirmed that BMW was committed to its other operations in the UK: the Rolls Royce factory near Goodwood, West Sussex, the pressing division at Swindon and the engine plant at Hams Hall.

He even hinted that BMW might decide to build the next generation of small BMWs at Oxford.

Last year the number of Minis produced in Oxford stood at 216,000, of which 80% were built for the export market in 90 countries around the world.  In total BMW UK exported cars and engines to the value of £2.4bn last year.

Prime Minister David Cameron called BMW’s decision a huge vote of confidence in the abilities and skills of the company’s UK workforce and in the future of British manufacturing.

Author - Louise Hutchinson
 

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