Friday 14th November 2003

BMW boss pledges UK future for MINI

Zey vill only ever be built in Englant

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The MINI will never be built anywhere other than at BMW’s Oxford factory, company chairman Dr Helmut Panke shouted this week. "Oxford will be the MINI’s only home ," he is quoted as saying.

He then urged the British government to join the euro, saying that "as a manufacturer we consider the main advantages of British membership to be a simplification of transactions and a more stable planning environment .

Then, he whipped out the loaded comment: "Decisions on future investment plans for the BMW Group in the UK are clearly not going to be easier should those differences in currencies continue into the longer term ."

Dr Panke, speaking at BMW GB’s annual press dinner in London, said that the BMW Group now employed 9,000 in the UK and had invested £700m over the last three years, making BMW the UK’s second biggest inward investor.

In addition to the Mini factory (sorry, MINI!), the Hams Hall engine plant in the West Midlands is now BMW’s sole production facility for four cylinder petrol engines, which are exported to Germany and South Africa, where 3 Series are built. Hams Hall will also produce engines for the new 1 Series, due towards the end of 2004.

Hams Hall will also assemble the engines from the joint venture with PSA for the next generation of MINI engines, said Dr Panke.

[kneegrow]

Well, there we go, some liberal waffling by some corporate "suit", reading between the lines, I can almost come up with anything. BMW seem to have said "MINI production will remain in the UK", that says nothing about the real future of the car or should I say "brand"? Not wanting to degenerate into my "real" mini views which are more of a staccato rant, I have to question the future of the car.

That question being:

Taking the mini (BINI) is a profit vehicle for BMW, when that commodity has become old hat, what will they do with the "Brand"? I wonder whether the car will evolve like the 3 series or whether it will just be canned and the "Brand" rights legally enforced (a la Morris, Austin, etc). I can see the BINI evolving now into something which is growing too fast hence will have to die soon......That is epitomised by the "DINI" (diesel bini) [incidentally with worse power to weight than an 850 mini minor/austin seven]. We are filling all the possibilities here (I doubt they will produce a Clubby estate, a Bini sprint or a Bini Maguire) so I think that before sales drop off and production is no longer viable they will just "Bin" it. Lets face it, as I scream along at 60mph (You only get that feeling at 140 in a new Mondeo) in my 1966 Morris Mini, that the mini died when it was still small enough to go around corners quickly. BMW will kill the BINI soon when they have had their ounce of flesh and the whole BMW hating will start again as it did with the Rover group. I couldn't care, the mini has allready died.....(Like Newton, Einstien, Hendrix, Morrison, all greats are dead, we have an automotive cover version of Billie Holiday by Jerry Spice (Whoever the Fukk that is)). What do you think?