JustBritish

The curse of the British tea break strikes again. Just as BMW announces record sales, its Mini factory in Oxford is threatened by a first strike since 1984 over alleged incursions into workers’ break times.

Mini has celebrated the two millionth car rolling off the production line with prime minister David Cameron driving the vehicle at the car’s Oxfordshire plant.

The iconic British vehicle began production ten years ago following a successful relaunch and a large amount of public anticipation.

Over 1.5 million cars have been exported by Mini, owned by BMW, while the company’s latest expansion plans to cater for the latest generation of the vehicles takes it total UK investment to £1.5 billion.

“The two millionth Mini to be made here in Oxford is a fantastic symbol of the UK’s strength in the global automotive industry,” said the prime minister, adding that the car represents a great British manufacturing success story.

Frank-Peter Arndt, BMW board member responsible for production, added: “The most essential factors in the success of Mini are the skills, passion and dedication of our associates.”

In a novel approach to its tenth anniversary, the brand launched a special site, Mini Lunatics, where enthusiastic owners can enter their car details and enjoy a virtual tour of space based on their mileage. Prizes are also being offered, including a trip to Cape Canaveral.

While it may receive a name change before taking a bow at dealerships, the Paceman will be the seventh MINI model in showrooms, following the debut of the MINI Roadster in 2012 and the MINI Cooper Coupe this October. The Paceman is based on the same underpinnings as the MINI Countryman crossover, and will be produced in the same assembly plant in Graz, Austria. The new concept was displayed at the 2011 Autoshow in Detroit.

“If MINI keeps releasing cars at their current pace, we’re going to have to expand our showroom,” said Tim Parker, general manager of New Country MINI, a Hartford, Connecticut MINI dealer. “The Paceman packs the capability of the Countryman into a sportier package, which is the right recipe for a lot of Connecticut MINI fans that want a fun ride when the weather is cooperating and a trusty grip when it does not.”

Sharing running gear with the Countryman means the Paceman will have a solid base to build upon. As the only MINI car currently available with all-wheel drive, the Countryman is a change of pace compared to the rest of the lineup. While still small by most standards, the Countryman is the biggest of the MINI bunch, offering room for four adults. Cargo space is a healthy 41.3 cubic feet, which means there is plenty of room for camping gear or groceries. With its convenient hatch and its wheelbase, length and width identical to the Countryman, the Paceman should have similar space.

Power in the MINI Countryman is supplied by one of two 1.6-liter four-cylinder engines, with the standard engine producing 121 horsepower and the turbocharged mill available in the S model delivering 181 horsepower. Both engines are available with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic, but ALL4 all-wheel drive is available only with the turbocharged engine. While the Paceman is slated to have similar drivetrain options, it is also expected to come with the option of the juiced-up 208-horsepower engine found in the John Cooper Works models of the flagship MINI Cooper and MINI Clubman.

When it comes to fuel economy, standard Countryman models are capable of 35 mpg on the highway with the manual transmission, while S models return 32 mpg with front-wheel drive and 31 mpg when equipped with ALL4 all-wheel drive.

“MINI has a great formula for creating vehicles that are fun and functional, and the Countryman is a fine example of that formula at work,” Parker noted. “Adding the Paceman to the lineup means yet another option for Connecticut drivers who are tired of boring crossovers.”

After starting production 10 years ago, the two-millionth MINI recently rolled off the Oxford, England assembly line with British Prime Minister David Cameron behind the wheel. The production milestone shows that the brand is maintaining another mainstay of the MINI badge: its popularity.

The Mini, inspired by Goodwood, is an exclusive special edition that adds another layer to the MINI brand experience with a generous dose of automotive luxury and exclusivity in its highest form. The MINI, will have only 140 vehicles coming to the United States. The Goodwood MINI has had a close collaboration with the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars design team at the development center of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England, and has produced a limited-run special edition MINI, whose exterior and interior design is inspired by fine materials and the British luxury car marque’s commitment to absolutely flawless workmanship.

“The Mini, inspired by Goodwood is a limited edition model that will combine typical Mini driving fun with discerning craftsmanship,” said Darren Richie, Irvine, Calif., Mini’s General Manager. “We’re excited for its arrival to the U.S and we’re excited to see our Mini fans reactions,” he said. The Mini, which will be produced in a limited edition of 1,000 units, combines typical Mini driving fun with discerning craftsmanship, select materials and a styling marked by typical British understatement of the world’s leading producer of luxury automobiles. Deliveries of the 2012 model year vehicle, which will launch as part of the exclusive product line, are scheduled to start in spring 2012. The Mini is characterized by top-grade materials, the highest level of workmanship and stylish supremacy.
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According to AutoEvolution.com, despite being ideal vehicles for hairdressers and looking like retro hatchbacks, we actually like the cars that MINI makes. However, there’s always that nagging thought in the back of our minds that they are as British as a bratwurst.

There’s still hope though, as MINI recently announced a big investment plan in its plant in Oxford, UK to prepare for production of its third-generation Cooper model, a test mule of which was recently spotted while undergoing road trials. The new model, will be based on a new front-wheel drive platform dubbed UKL, which will be used by BMW for its own range of entry-level hatchbacks.

A new Cooper isn’t the only kind of ammo that MINI has ready to load, as the company boss Norbert Reithoffer has revealed to What Car? that a 10 model lineup is coming. The current lineup consists of the regular hatchback (with various Cooper and JCW variants), MINI Cabrio, MINI Clubman, MINI Countryman, plus the upcoming MINI Coupe and MINI Roadster, the former coming to Frankfurt in September and the latter expected early next year.

There’s also the Paceman concept (a coupe crossover) to consider, and the Rocketman looks set to go into production. That brings the grand total to eight, and the MINI E could be the ninth car offered by the British Brand.

Your guess is as good as ours when it comes to the tenth model, but we hope it’s something like a proper sportscar or a rally-bread thoroughbred.

A beleaguered British motor industry delivered its second boost to the economy in as many days yesterday as BMW announced plans to build its next generation Mini in country. The German car giant said it will make a fresh investment of £500 million to build the new Mini coupe and Mini Roadster models in the UK.

The news followed an announcement on Wednesday by Nissan that it was investing £192m to build the next version of its Qashqai model in Britain. Both announcements safeguard thousands of jobs.

Business leaders, unions and the government welcomed the development, which the Prime Minister said was a “tremendous vote of confidence” in BMW’s UK workforce. The Mini coupe will be launched later this year and the Mini Roadster in 2012, both produced in Oxford, where more than two million Minis have been built since 2001 – three-quarters of them for export.

BMW’s latest investment will also benefit a pressings plant in Swindon and its engine plant at Hams Hall near Birmingham. The company said it had invested £1.5 billion in the UK since 2000. BMW group chairman Norbert Reithofer said: “This investment underlines that the UK will remain the heart of Mini production.”

The announcements by BMW and Nissan signal a renewed confidence in the UK motor industry, which produces the country’s most valuable manufactured exports, with £27bn worth of vehicles and parts going overseas in 2010. BMW’s £2.4 billion-a-year exports of cars and engines account for about 1 per cent of all goods exported by UK companies.

Paul Everitt, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said competition to secure work on new models was always fierce. “What they’ve committed to is the next generation of vehicles for the Mini and the Qashqai which effectively will guarantee these plants for another decade,” he said. “Everybody wants this investment. Every country in Europe and developing parts of the world wants investment from major automotive manufacturers because it means high value, good quality jobs over a long period of time. Every time there is a new model in the offing the competition is intense.”

Recent years have been tough for car makers in Britain, with the number of new cars sold falling for 11 consecutive months to May. But things seem to have taken a turn for the better with General Motors making their new van in Luton, and Ford committing to investing £1.5bn in research and development in Britain. Everitt added: “What we are seeing is a re-commitment by major vehicle manufacturers to their production facilities in the UK.

“If you’re one of the tens of thousands of people working in this business today you will feel an awful lot more confident about your future than you did yesterday or the day before.” Everitt said he was “optimistic” about the future for car makers in the UK, and that the demise of British-owned firms was irrelevant.

“The UK is a major part of the global automotive industry. I don’t see the manufacturers who operate here as being anything other than part of the UK economy. So I’m not sure that this whole question of ownership is a relevant one,” he said. “All these manufacturers are multi-national, the most important thing for us is that they feel happy and confident to invest in the UK.”