Oxford Mini investment will help 'fight climate change'

More than 4,000 jobs were revealed to be secure yesterday when BMW announced it would build the new fully electric three door Mini Cooper and the compact crossover Mini Aceman at the Cowley site.

The Oxford plant was the first place to build the Mini electric in 2019 and Oxfordshire County Council leader and Liberal Democrat Liz Leffman said this news was “fantastic” for thousands of people who work at the Mini plant and Oxfordshire’s economy.

Aerial view of Oxford Mini plant (Image: BMW Group)

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She said: "An investment of this scale shows the faith being placed in Oxford to produce the latest all-electric, emission-free models of this iconic car which is synonymous with the city.

"The future of motoring is electric, and the future of Mini manufacturing is here in Cowley, where it began in 1959.

“Oxford has a long and proud history of car production, and this investment will see it continue for many years to come, producing cleaner, greener cars which won’t pollute our streets or contribute to climate change by burning fossil fuels.”

Ms Leffman said the investment demonstrated what “an incredible location Oxfordshire is for those wanting to invest in state of the art manufacturing and how vital it is to move towards sustainable technology”.

The leader credited BMW’s work in Oxford as helping the “whole county’s economy thrive”.

She added: “As the sign outside the Cowley plant proudly proclaims, Oxford is ‘the home of Mini’.

"Long may that continue.”