Mini Exports One-Millionth Unit

BMW AG’s Oxford, U.K., assembly plant celebrates the production of the one-millionth Mini for export.

More than 80% of output at the plant is exported to some 80 countries worldwide, with the U.S. the largest market, the auto maker says.

In the year’s first half, Mini USA sales have soared 33.6% to 26,400 units compared with year-ago.

The auto maker says the increase is “indicative of the structural shift taking place in the U.S., with Mini dealers reporting many customers moving out of their large cars, SUVs and trucks into Minis.”

Globally, Mini deliveries jumped 17.9% in the first half, largely due to the introduction of the Mini Clubman, which now accounts for one out of every five Minis sold.

Oliver Zipse, managing director of the Oxford facility, says production for export is the driving force behind the plant’s success.

“Since Mini was launched, we have seen a significant increase in export from less than 60% in 2001 to over 80% this year,” he says. “The high customer demand around the world, from Chile to China, has driven Mini’s success over the last seven years.”

The Oxford plant, which opened in 2001, employs 4,700 workers that operate on three shifts, producing up to 800 units a day, seven days a week. An additional 2,100 employees work at the Mini pressing plant in Swindon, U.K. and engine plant in Hams Hall, near Birmingham.