BMW will build the next generation of electric Mini cars in the UK, after the German car manufacturer stuck a deal with the British government.
A multi-million pound investment will modify BMW's existing plant in Oxford and secure 4,000 jobs in the process, ministers said.
While the British government has declined to set out the exact figure of taxpayer support that BMW was offered to make the move, the previously reported figure of £75 million was not disputed.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his government was securing jobs and growing the economy “by backing our car manufacturing industry”.
“BMW's investment is another shining example of how the UK is the best place to build cars of the future,” he said.
'Global leader in electric vehicles'
The first generation of the Mini's electric model was launched at BMW's Oxford plant in 2019. However, the company said last year that it planned to build most of its electric cars in China.
UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said BMW's investment was a “huge vote of confidence in this country as a global leader in electric vehicles”.
The government has been driving an initiative to attract car makers to invest and build their electric models in the UK.
Two months ago, India's Tata said it would invest £4 billion in an electric vehicle battery plant in Britain to supply its Jaguar Land Rover factories.
Meanwhile, last week electric vehicle production began at the Stellantis's factory in Ellesmere Port, following a £100 million investment.
The UK's car industry has been motoring ahead recently, confirmed by figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders that showed Britain's car production was almost a third higher in August, when compared with the same month last year.
The Mini through the years - in pictures
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A Mini assembly line in Birmingham in 1959. Getty Images -
The 1961 racing Mini. PA -
An Austin Morris Mini Cooper on the road in 1963. Getty Images -
Paddy Hopkirk drives an Austin Mini Cooper S during a race at Silverstone, in 1964. Getty Images -
Actor and comedian Peter Sellers drives a luxury mini he had specially made for his wife, Britt Ekland, in 1965. Getty Images -
An Aquaglider carries a Mini across the Thames at Putney Pier in London in 1966. Getty Images -
Singer and songwriter John Lennon of the Beatles sits in a Mini owned by George Harrison at West Malling Airfield, Kent, in 1967. Getty Images -
Officers stand by four of the 10 Mini Coopers added to the Manchester police fleet, in 1968. Getty Images -
Workers celebrate the production of the millionth Mini for export, in 1970. Getty Images -
The 1994 final ‘classic' Mini. PA -
The New Mini Cooper on display in London in 2001. Getty Images -
A Mini Cooper goes up on two wheels during the premiere of The Italian Job in London in 2003. Getty Images -
Prime Minister Gordon Brown signs a Mini in aid of a British Forces appeal outside No 10 Downing Street in 2009. Getty Images -
Mini owners celebrate the 50th anniversary of the car drive through Crystal Palace Park in London, in 2009. Getty Images -
A remote-controlled Mini model is used to return the hammer during the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Getty Images -
Orlando Terranova of Argentina drives a Mini during the 2017 Dakar Rally between Uyuni, Bolivia, and Salta, Argentina. Getty Images -
Robots on the Mini production line at a BMW group plant in Cowley, near Oxford, in 2019. AFP -
Visitors inspect an electric Mini Cooper at the Munich Motor Show in Germany in 2023. Getty Images
