The timeline to complete BMW’s manufacturing review is “as soon as possible”. Auto Express understands the review focuses on Plant Oxford rather than the group’s broader manufacturing footprint.
But it still appears to be a discussion around when rather than if. “When is the right time to reintroduce battery electric car production at Oxford?” a source told Auto Express. “We are seeing uncertainty 1740163227 when we need to see a clear path to electromobility so we can make the full investment in Oxford.”
BMW has already spent some of the £600m earmarked on a new components logistics hub. Some of the remaining funding will go to the Swindon pressing plant to churn out electric model body parts, but it’s Oxford assembly which will soak up the majority of the cash – assuming it’s released.
The previous Conservative Government pledged a subsidy to secure BMW’s electric investment in Oxford, thought to be an extra £60m on top of the car maker’s cash. Auto Express understands the Government is aware of the delay and no cash will be drawn until the project proceeds as planned.
One electrified MINI – the Countryman SUV – is European-assembled, at BMW’s Leipzig plant in Germany. It’s a multi-vehicle plant, with 1 Series and 2 Series models going down the line alongside the maxi MINI.
The investment pause reiterates the planning headache afflicting car makers as they manage the transition to electric, which is proceeding at different rates for different markets.
Government policy has propelled Norway’s EV penetration to 89 per cent of new car sales. US EV sales topped 1.3 million units in 2024, although the new Trump administration may throw the segment’s marginal growth into reverse.
The biggest global market for electrified vehicles is China where sales hit 11 million units last year (up 40 per cent), although that figure also includes plug-in hybrids.
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