The British government announced on Monday that the German car manufacturer BMW will invest several million pounds to convert its “Mini” car factory in Oxford, United Kingdom, into an electric car production facility.
Later, the company stated that it would invest over £600 million in the “Mini” plant to transform this car model, currently produced in Oxford, into an electric one. The company also plans to invest in its Swindon factory, located 100 kilometers west of London, where car components are manufactured.
This investment will help sustain “4,000 jobs,” according to the government, which also noted that it would strengthen the “electric car supply chain,” as stated by the Ministry of Business and Trade in a statement.
The ministry sees this investment as a “vote of confidence” in the government’s automotive industry strategy.
BMW’s announcement raises the investment volume in the sector to £6 billion ($7 billion) in the past two years.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that “BMW’s investments are another shining example that the United Kingdom is the best place to manufacture cars of the future.” He praised his government’s support for the industry in terms of growth and employment.
The British government highlighted that this comes a few days after the announcement by the “Stellantis” group of the start of electric car production at its factory in Ellesmere Port, north England, following a £100 million ($116 million) investment.
In July, the Indian group Tata Motors, which owns Jaguar Land Rover, announced a £4 billion ($4.6 billion) investment to build a massive electric battery factory in the United Kingdom.
