UK vehicle industry boosted by £500 million BMW investment

Britain’s vehicle manufacturing industry has received welcome news from BMW, whose plan to invest £500 million in its Mini assembly plant in Oxford plus in its Swindon and Birmingham sites will safeguard some 5,000 UK jobs. The German manufacturer announced this investment during a Downing Street meeting between leading vehicle manufacturers and the Prime Minister. During the meeting, Mr. Cameron told industry representatives that “we really want to see the automotive industry flourish and we are determined to do the things to help it succeed.”

Last year 216,000 Minis were produced at the former Morris plant in Oxford, 80 per cent of which were sent to export markets. Hankook Tire recently announced it will, starting late June, begin delivering original equipment tyres for fitment on the Mini, an arrangement which it says shows it is now successfully competing against tyre majors such as Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear and Continental.