BMW said that it will build a fully electric version of the Mini in the UK at itsfacility in Oxford, England.
The company will produce a new fully electric Mini 3 door variant. From 2019, BMW will start producing the fully electric Mini with options for petrol and diesel plug-in hybrids.
The vehicles will be built at the company's e-mobility centre at Plants Dingolfing and Landshut in the German state of Bavaria and will be shipped to Oxford plant in the UK.
BMW stated that this is part of its electrification strategy it will electrify across all model and brands, with options for full-electric or plug-in hybrid drivetrain along with combustion engine option.
According to the German auto-maker, by 2025, it expects to have between 15% and 25% of its sales to be of electrified vehicles. In order to quickly react to changing customer needs and changing market and political conditions, it has introduced a new and flexible system to its production network across the world.
The flexible system is claimed to enable its production facilities to build models with combustion engines, plug-in hybrids or fully electric drivetrains at the same time.
BMW management board production member Oliver Zipse said: “BMW Group Plants Dingolfing and Landshut play a leading role within our global production network as the company’s global competence centre for electric mobility.
“Our adaptable production system is innovative and able to react rapidly to changing customer demand. If required, we can increase production of electric drivetrain motor components quickly and efficiently, in line with market developments.”
Presently, BMW Group produces electrified models at ten plants around the world. From 2013, most of the components for the electric drivetrain for these vehicles came from its plants in Dingolfing and Landshut.
Dingolfing also builds plug-in hybrid version of BMW 5 Series and 7 Series and from 2021, the plant will also build the BMW I NEXT. The company claims to have invested €100m in electric-mobility at the Dingolfing site.
