BMW to shift production of electric Mini from UK to China, dealing yet another blow to Britain’s ambitions in battery-powered vehicles

[beijingwalker]

BMW to shift production of electric Mini from UK to China, dealing yet another blow to Britain’s ambitions in battery-powered vehicles

Britain's Prince Charles drives a MINI electric car during a visit to the MINI plant in Oxford, Britain June 8, 2021. (File photo: Reuters)

Saturday October 15 2022

BMW AG will stop manufacturing its electric Minis in the UK and move production to factories in China, dealing yet another blow to Britain’s ambitions in battery-powered vehicles, the Times reported.

The German car manufacturer builds around 40,000 electric, Mini vehicles a year at its factory outside Oxford but will call a halt by the end of next year, the newspaper said on Saturday, citing an executive who leads the Mini brand. BMW plans to shift production of the electric vehicles to its joint venture in China.

Stefanie Wurst, the new chief of Mini, told the newspaper that the Oxford plant was running inefficiently by having to produce electric and petrol cars on the same line. She said the factory needed “renovation and investment to build electric vehicles, with the old assembly lines stripped out. Still, there was no date for a return to the UK,” she said, according to the Times.

BMW will continue to assemble internal combustion-powered Minis in the UK into the 2030s -- predominantly for export to the US, Japan and the Middle East, according to the newspaper. However, the electric Minis will be built by BMW’s joint venture partner Great Wall Motor Co Ltd. and at its plant in Leipzig.

Meanwhile, three-year-old Britishvolt Ltd., the UK’s attempt to develop a homegrown electric-vehicle battery giant, is under threat as it seeks emergency funding.

Bloomberg this week reported that the firm was considering selling its UK site. The Financial Times said the firm needs some £200 million ($223 million) to fund it until next summer and is holding talks with strategic investors.

BMW to shift production of electric Mini from UK to China

BMW AG will stop manufacturing its electric Minis in the UK and move production to factories in China, dealing yet another blow to Britain’s ambitions in

english.alarabiya.net

 

[beijingwalker]

Don't listen to what they say, see what they do.

BMW to axe UK production of electric Mini and relocate to China

Cowley factory on outskirts of Oxford not up to challenge of creating electric vehicles, says Mini boss

www.theguardian.com

 

[Ali_Baba]

Britishvolt in emergency funding talks to avoid pre-Christmas collapse​

Britishvolt in emergency funding talks to avoid pre-Christmas collapse

Seven potential suitors include Tata Motors in process that may lead to takeover

www.ft.com

>> unfortunately - Britishvolt is about to collapse aswell - and with it will go the entire british car manufacturing industry for the next generational change in technology for cars - ie electric vechicles. It seems like the future of the electric car in the UK will be all imported ..

 

[MH.Yang]

Considering the current energy prices in Europe, I doubt whether they can leave any factories in Europe.

 

[GS Zhou]

The decision on plant location is associated to the factors like scale of the domestic market, the maturity and advancement of the local supply chain, cost on labor etc. UK has zero advantage on any of the factors. So it is a very understandable and nature decision for BMW to move the EV production from UK to China.

 

[Beast]

Don't worry, some delusionist will claim Chinese work like slave for the western. Such outsourcing of manufacturing high end products like EV is good for westerners to enjoy their long weekend and spend more time at home and family.