Mini Hatch Production Approach

Even though almost every OEM has recognized the success of Mini—no one believed that anyone (well, not in the U.S., anyway) would pay a premium for a small car—and so have rolled out with their own variants and competitors, Mini is still doing quite well. Last year the company produced 303,177 vehicles and rolling back to 2001, when the brand was relaunched, there have been some 2.8-million Minis built.

Most of the Minis are built in a plant in Oxford, England. (Yes, as in “Oxford.” Cars and scholars. Who knew?) Last year, 175,986 of them. The hatch, Convertible, Clubman, Clubvan, Roadster, and Coupe. Then there were 125,559 units built by Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria, but that relationship is come to a close.

So to up its capacity, Mini is working with VDL Nedcar in Born, Netherlands, which will start producing the new Mini Hatch in its plant this summer.

Speaking to this outsourcing approach, Dr. Klaus Draeger, BMW Board Member, Purchasing and Supplier Network, said, “Contract production is a vital flexibility tool for us, and our experience gathered over the past 10 years has been nothing but positive. Splitting production of the new Mini Hatch between Oxford and Born will give our global production network additional leeway.”

Approximately 1,500 people will be producing the Mini Hatch at VDL Nedcar.