New Mini five-door production commences

Mini had recently unveiled the new five-door hatchback, based on its new generation. The company’s Oxford plant has just begun the production first as the new Mini five-door hatch comes off the production line. This new five-door is a first for MINI production at the Oxford plant and marks another phase in the roll-out of a £750 million investment programme across BMW Group UK’s production facilities from 2011 to 2015.

The five-door Mini is 4 metres in length and is 161mm longer than the three-door. It has three rear seats, 61mm of more interior width, 15mm of extra headroom and 278 litres of boot space. The car comes hot on the heels of the new Mini Hatch, which was launched in November. The new five-door, which will go on sale in the autumn in Europe. This new model opens up a whole new market segment.

Business Secretary, Vince Cable said: “The launch of the all-new five-door Mini is a further boost for the UK’s manufacturing sector, and will help to secure jobs in Oxford and Swindon as part of BMW’s £750 million investment programme in the UK. BMW’s continued commitment and investment in the UK underlines the continuing success story that is UK automotive manufacturing.

Frank Bachmann, managing director of MINI Plants Oxford and Swindon, said: “This is an exciting day for us with the first ever 5-door MINI for the plant, which opens up a whole new market segment for the brand. BMW Group has invested in creating state-of-the-art technology and facilities at Oxford and Swindon for the launch of this new generation of MINI, demonstrating the company’s commitment to a long-term future for its UK production sites.”

At the moment, the five-door is the second member of the Mini family to be built on a new platform. The company’s new innovative approach to design increases the flexibility of the body manufacturing process at its Oxford plant, allowing more models of greater variation to be produced more efficiently, an essential element of the Mini’s build-to-order appeal. Mini will soon be introducing other variants on its new platform and we will see the Convertibles, Countryman, Clubvan and other models too.

Preparations for the new generation of Mini have seen the building of a new bodyshop at Oxford and significant investment in facilities and technologies at Plant Swindon, where the car’s body panels are pressed and a number of sub-assemblies made. Plant Oxford’s assembly employees also went through a programme of training to support the launch of the new model generation.