BMW has confirmed that the production of electric Minis will be moved from Mini's historic plant in Cowley, outside Oxford. The automaker will instead produce its EVs in China, with the help of BMW's partner, Great Wall.
In addition to the electric Mini, it appears that the upcoming Aceman, which was recently previewed as a concept car, will also be built in China. But the electric version of the Mini Countryman will be built at BMW’s plant in Leipzig, Germany.
Because the Oxford factory won't be producing any EVs, there are fears that the plant may become obsolete, and will eventually be shut down. There are rumours circulating that Great Wall may purchase the plant to produce its own vehicles there.
Stefanie Wurst, the new head of Mini, has denied the rumours. She stated that “Oxford will always be the home of Mini.” She also says that the decision to stop EV production at the plant wasn't linked to Brexit.
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Instead, she said that the decision is due to production inefficiencies caused by producing both internal combustion and electric cars on the same line.
“Oxford is not geared up for electric vehicles,” Wurst told The Times. “It will need renovation and investment.”
She added that when electric vehicles eventually do return to the Oxford plant, they'll be built on an assembly line platform developed by Great Wall. She said that the existing lines would be stripped out as part of a major factory overhaul.
But both Wurst and Great Wall did indicate that the Chinese automaker may produce its own vehicles at the plant, for brands such as Ora and Wey.
A spokesperson for Great Wall said that building its own vehicles at the Oxford plant was the subject of “internal discussion.”