BMW Confirms Plans to Build Mini EV in U.K.

Confirming reports from earlier this month, BMW AG says it will begin producing an all-electric variant of its Mini hatchback at the main Mini factory in Oxford, England, in 2019.

The car’s electric drivetrain will be built at a pair of plants in Germany—Dingolfing and Landshut—which are part of BMW’s e-mobility initiative. The carmaker expects as much as 25% of its sales will come from electrified vehicles by 2025. BMW currently builds hybrid and full-electric models at 10 plants worldwide.

In February BMW said it was considering producing the Mini EV in mainland instead of England due to uncertainties pertaining to last year’s Brexit decision. A Reuters report last week said BMW was leaning toward Oxford, although the company maintains it hasn’t sought or received reassurances from the U.K. government on post-Brexit trade policies.

The three-door Mini will be the first of a new wave of EVs from BMW. Other models in the pipeline include the i8 Roadster, an all-electric X3, and the so-called iNext model that is expected to team electrification with next-generation autonomous vehicle technologies.