Hope for a new Oxford-built EV hardtop after all?
- Thread starter CuriousGeorge
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That article seems to have been written years ago:
In 2023, the BMW Group announced that it would invest more than £600million in the Mini factories at Oxford and Swindon to ensure they focus on all-electric production from 2030.
It confirmed that UK production of two new electrified models - the Mini Cooper and Mini Aceman - will begin in 2026, in a further boost to the UK economy.
The GB News article doesn't contradict--or even mention--the news BMW made at the end of 2024:
MINI Cooper’s Future Uncertain as BMW Halts UK EV Production Plans
MichaelC
Well-Known Member
MotoringFile has a corroborating article they published today:
MINI Confirms Electric Cooper & Aceman Production In The UK: But Questions Remain
MINI Confirms Electric Cooper & Aceman Production In The UK: But Questions Remain
The GB News article passage I quoted claimed, "will begin in 2026." The F56 lasted from 2014 to 2023. How quickly can BMW develop a British-built K01 (my made-up designation) to replace the Chinese J01? What a can of worms the Spotlight plant turned out to be for BMW!
MichaelC
Well-Known Member
MotoringFile also claims "starting in 2026", so that aligns.
That's a great question! But I think the other question is: How long ago did they start working on the LCI? As I recall, previous articles about J01 production starting in Oxford claimed that it would coincide with the first LCI. It's possible that they already planned for the LCI to reduce China-sourced materials (such as migrating those models to use the Neue Klasse platform?)...or maybe an in-progress LCI effort could be redirected to reduce China-sourced materials with "less" impact than starting from scratch.
We probably won't learn the truth until well after the fact. But we have some time to speculate...
CuriousGeorge
Well-Known Member
Yes, that's what I stumbled across first.
CuriousGeorge
Well-Known Member
The timeline certainly does seem short.
OTOH, perhaps lessons learned in the development of the J01 (and Aceman) can still be applied, speeding things up significantly? The next hardtop might therefore be different enough to deserve a new chassis designation vs. simply being an LCI, yet might not be outwardly all that different after all.
Carry over the new exterior and interior design, slap it on a new skateboard platform, source everything to minimize tariffs, and Bob's your uncle!
Yesterday's Motoring File article makes me scratch my head (I added the underline):
Electric Cooper & Aceman Production Confirmed for the UK
MINI has also publicly reaffirmed its substantial £600 million investment to prepare the Oxford plant for production of two new electrified models—the MINI Cooper and MINI Aceman—starting in 2026.
On paper, this might seem to contradict our earlier reporting. But our sources remain firm in telling us that the J01 and J05, as we currently know them, will not be built in the UK. Instead, the Oxford-built electric Cooper and Aceman will undergo significant updates, with components sourced from new suppliers—enough to warrant new BMW codenames, despite retaining the same model names.
Puppethead
Well-Known Member
Maybe not, they switch over for new year models in about 1-2 months. I'm sure the assembly line needs significant changes for a new EV platform, but maybe not a multi-year effort.
CuriousGeorge
Well-Known Member
I was thinking more of the design/testing/tweaking phase.
CuriousGeorge
Well-Known Member
It appears to me that they are trying to skate on a small technicality. Previously, they reported that the J01 and J05 specifically won't be build in the UK, and that still appears to be true.
So the UK will be building LCI versions of these EVs?
CuriousGeorge
Well-Known Member
If it receives a new codename (as the article states), is it just an LCI, or is it a different vehicle entirely? Motoring File seems to be taking the latter position.
A related thought: BMW recently put forth the argument that ICE and EVs shouldn't look markedly different. Applying that argument to the MINI brand, this implies that the new 'K01' (to use your temporary designation) needs to look like the (post-LCI) F66, or else it, too, would need to undergo a significant redesign.
I still like my idea: keep the new exterior and interior, and whip up a new skateboard platform to put under it.
They could find some solid-state Li-Ion batteries that would provide the J01's range but retain the F56 SE's weight. I'd buy that!
teslarati97
Well-Known Member
Can I interest you in an aqua CT marketed towards enthusiasts? It's 5 feet longer than the U25.
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inferno10
Member
Looks like it's a no for now: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/business-manufacturing/breaking-mini-delays-ev-production-oxford
Thanks for that link; I found this part very enlightening:
The spokesperson added that a previously announced government grant - of an unspecified amount – that was to be invested into the plant on top of BMW Group's cash will now not be taken.
I mistakenly believed BMW had accepted the giant chunk of cash Britain offered them to upgrade Plant Oxford to build EVs and keep lots of Brits working. Instead, BMW spent more than £600 million of their own money before deciding on the EV "pause." This, after spending massive bucks, er, renminbi, to build the Spotlight plant with Great Wall Motor in Zhangjiagang, China, which rumors suggest BMW is planning to abandon after the J01 and J05 run their courses.
North American buyers continue voting with their wallets for SUVs and crossovers. Cars are nearly extinct. Will there ever be enough demand for a new MINI (gas or electric) for BMW to finish upgrading Plant Oxford?