The 'new' Mini is not so new anymore
Tuesday, 27 April 2021
To some people the “new” Mini will never be a replacement for the original, but here’s the thing: it’s not that “new” anymore. In fact the BMW Mini is celebrating its 20th birthday this month!
That’s right, while the original celebrated its 60th back in 2019, the modern Mini is 20 (that’s the benchmark to be considered a classic car by a lot of insurance companies, by the way), with the BMW Group’s UK manufacturing plants in Oxford and Swindon celebrating two decades of building Minis, with production beginning for body panels in early 2001 in Swindon and the first new Mini rolling off the line in Oxford on the 26th April that same year.
Over the past two decades BMW has built over 5 million Minis in the UK, which actually makes it a faster seller than the original, of which the official figures list around 5.3 million being built between 1959 and 2000.
Both sets of numbers include all variants, with the modern Mini consisting of the 3-door hatch, 5-door hatch, Clubman and the Mini Electric, all on the same production line at Oxford, while the original Mini numbers include the Clubman, estates, commercial variants, Riley Elf, Wolseley Hornet and the Mini Moke.
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**
Not counted in the modern Mini’s numbers are the cars built outside the UK, including the Countryman SUV, the convertible and the now-defunct Roadster, Coupe and Paceman models.
“Congratulations to everyone at Oxford and Swindon for reaching such a great manufacturing milestone,” said BMW Group Chairman of the Board of Management Oliver Zipse who was in charge of manufacturing at the Oxford plant from 2007 to 2008.
“I still have very fond memories of my time at Oxford. It was a real pleasure to work at the home and heart of the Mini brand with such engaging and passionate people, nearly one quarter of whom have dedicated these 20-years or more to building our cars.”
BMW employs more than 4,500 workers at Oxford and Swindon, including 130 apprentices, who all keep production moving to build 1000 Minis a day – or one every 67 seconds – the plants have been at the heart of their communities for a very long time – 108 and 65 years respectively.
While the modern incarnation of the Mini may not be universally loved by all (and we can’t get with that new grille…), it has been an undeniable success for BMW and has proven to be just as loved by its owners as the original was and still is.
Mini brand and UK manufacturing: 20 highlights from 20 years.
2001
April 26 – start of Mini production at Oxford.
July 7 – new Mini Hatch is launched in the UK.
2004
The BMW Group announces £40 million investment at Swindon plant.
The first Mini Convertible is revealed.
2006
- Plant Hams Hall produces new engine family and supplies Oxford for Mini production, creating the UK Mini Production Triangle.
2007
- July – Oxford plant pioneers innovative paint technology. Plant Oxford is the first BMW Group manufacturing site to use IPP (Integrated Paint Process). This highly innovative system brings energy savings and emissions reductions of well over 10 per cent in the painting of body shells. As well as enhancing the efficiency of the entire paint process, IPP also supports BMW Group's environmental objectives by dispensing with a solvent-based primer-surfacer.
2008
- New Mini Clubman revealed for the first time (to be built in Oxford)
2009
September – The first Mini John Cooper Works GP is revealed
Mini E trial begins, backed by the UK Government. BMW Group’s major UK field trial with Mini E model to evaluate the technical and social aspects of living with an all-electric vehicle in a real world environment. More than 400,000 kilometres were driven on UK roads in one year.
2010
- The brand’s first SUV the Countryman is revealed (produced in Graz, Austria).
2011
- Mini Coupe revealed.
2012
- Mini Roadster revealed.
2013
- Mini Paceman revealed.
2014
Mini 5-door hatch is revealed.
One of the UK’s largest roof-mounted solar farms is installed at the Oxford plant. On the roof of the bodyshop, the solar farm has more than 11,500 panels, covering 20,000 square metres (five football pitches). It generates enough electricity to power the equivalent of 850 households (over 3 megawatts). This allows Plant Oxford to reduce its carbon footprint by approximately 1,500 tonnes of CO² per year.
2019
The Oxford builds its 10 millionth Mini (counting the original and modern Minis) and is awarded “Best Told Story” from the official tourism agency for England, Visit England (won again in 2020). Plant Oxford opened its doors to public tours in 2008.
The two bookends of the brand are announced – the third Mini John Cooper Works GP (3,000 units globally) and the brand’s first all-electric production car, the Mini Electric.
2020
January – Mini Electric customer production begins at Plant Oxford. The Mini Electric is fully integrated into the production process at Plant Oxford, making it the first BMW Group Plant to have electric running down the same line as the combustion engine models, allowing flexibility in production according to global demand. By the end of 2020, a total of 17,580 were sold and delivered to customers around the world, 3,385 of which were in the UK.
October 27 – Mini reveals future product plans and new strategy focusing on electromobility, crossovers and production of models in China from 2023