German car maker BMW said today it planned to build new models of its Mini brand in Britain, in a further boost to the country's car manufacturing industry. BMW will invest £500m sterling in the project and safeguard 5,000 jobs.
The announcement comes one day after Japanese car giant Nissan said it planned to build the next Qashqai crossover car model in Britain.
'The BMW Group has announced today an additional £500m investment in its UK production network over the next three years and confirmed that the UK will be a production location for its next generation Mini models,' the German giant said.
The announcement was made by BMW Group chairman Norbert Reithofer in a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London today.
Cameron said the investments by BMW and Nissan were significant boosts to the country's manufacturing industry, while also helping to rebalance an economy heavily dependent on service industries such as banking.
The new Mini coupé will launch this year and the Mini Roadster in 2012. Both are to be produced in the university city of Oxford, central England.
