Nedcar Begins Production of Mini Convertible

Dutch contract vehicle assembler VDL Nedcar BV has begun building the new Mini Convertible at its plant in Born, Netherlands.

The model is the second Nedcar is producing for BMW AG, following the launch of the new Mini last year, but the first to be sole sourced from the Born factory. BMW previously made convertible versions of the car at Mini’s sole plant in Oxford, England.

Neither Nedcar nor BMW has indicated a sales target for the new drop-top Mini. Last year Mini sold 17,300 convertibles worldwide, according to Automotive News.

The Nedcar facility, which was launched in the 1970s by Mitsubishi Motors Corp., was acquired by Dutch busmaker VDL Groep in 2012 for a token €1.