MINI Electric production passes 11,000 unit milestone
The firm’s Oxford plant has built more than 11,000 MINI Electrics since the hatchback’s launch – around 3,000 of which were for UK buyers
The MINI Electric has passed a production milestone. More than 11,000 units have rolled off the production line since the model’s launch last year – more than 3,000 of which found homes on UK driveways, making Britain the EV’s second largest market.
As is often the case nowadays, the MINI Electric is nailed together on the same assembly line as its combustion engined siblings, which means the brand can easily adjust the car’s production numbers according to market demand.
Which is good, because production figures are expected to climb, thanks to the growing consumer acceptance of all-electric vehicles. Next year, MINI expects a third of all its three-door hatch models will be optioned with a pure-electric powertrain, ahead of the launch of the shrunken next-generation model in 2022.
Peter Weber, Managing Director of MINI’s Plant Oxford, said: “Everyone at Plant Oxford is immensely proud that our hard work integrating MINI Electric into the production line is paying off, with the car proving so popular with customers in the UK and around the world. As the home of the brand, it gives us huge satisfaction to build the first fully-electric car in the MINI product line-up here in Oxford, for global export.”
The rest of MINI’s electrified line-up also seems to be following consumer trends. A quarter of all MINI Countrymans sold in the UK are specced with the firm’s plug-in hybrid powertrain – and MINI says the Countryman PHEV and pure-electric three door hatch account for 19 percent of its global electrified sales.
Prices for the MINI Electric start at £24,900, including the government’s £3,000 plug-in car grant. For that, buyers get a 181bhp electric motor, 17-inch alloy wheels, tweaked bumpers, a digital gauge cluster, a 6.5-inch infotainment system, air-con, fabric seat upholstery and 32.6kWh battery pack, which offers a maximum claimed range of 144 miles.
Are you interested in buying an electric car? Check out our list of the best EVs on sale in the UK now…
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