Mini delays EV production at Oxford plant

Mini has confirmed it has paused plans to build the electric Cooper and Aceman models in the UK.

Mini’s parent group BMW announced in 2023 that production of the two models would begin at its Oxford site in 2026 but has now said the timeline was under review due to ‘uncertainties’ around the EV sector.

The Cooper hatchback and Aceman compact SUV are currently built in China for export around the world.

A spokesperson for Mini, told EV Powered: “Given the multiple uncertainties facing the automotive industry, the BMW Group is currently reviewing the timing for reintroducing battery-electric Mini production in Oxford.”

They added that the £600 million redevelopment of the factory was ‘well underway to make the plant future-ready’. The work includes creating new production lines at the main Oxford site and developing the Swindon body pressing facility. The factory currently produces petrol versions of the Mini hatchback and was due to shift to an all-electric output by 2030. It is not clear how the latest news affects that schedule.

Mini’s spokesperson said the brand remained committed to the Oxford site, noting: “Plant Oxford is at the heart of Mini production, manufacturing and exporting a range of models which are sought after in the UK and around the world.”

UK business and trade minister Sarah Jones, also emphasised in parliament that the project was delayed but not cancelled. Answering an urgent question in the House of Commons, she said that the government was in contact with BMW Group management and the delay was for ‘commercial’ reasons.

Mini’s spokesperson said that it had informed the government of its plans to review the production timeline and as part of that discussion had agreed not to take a previously announced government grant for development at the factory.

Several car makers are slowing their EV strategies in the face of mixed consumer demand and confused political messaging which ranges from the UK’s tough pro-EV ZEV mandate to the anti-EV stance of US president Donald Trump.

Manufacturers face a struggle to cope with wildly varying levels of adoption and promotion in different territories. While electric car sales continue to climb in the UK and reached record levels in 2024, they are in decline in other parts of Europe. Germany recorded a 27% decline in EV demand in 2024, the first year after it cut all subsidies. In contrast, in Norway last year, 97% of all new car sales were electric.