Tag Archives: Oxford

Car review

Mini Cooper SE evaluate

Leave a comment

The Mini Cooper, then, comes as a Cooper C or -S (constructed at Mini Plant Oxford, and powered by combustion engines) or as a Cooper E or SE (inbuilt China, at BMW Group’s three way partnership Spotlight manufacturing facility, with the assistance of Great Wall Motors). UK first drives within the former ought to come quickly – however for the latter, Mini laid on a pan-European press launch occasion in Barcelona final week, with right-hand drive UK examples arriving in summer season 2024.

This time, there are two electrical Minis, then – and, critically, each supply larger drive batteries and extra electrical vary than the famously nippy-but-short-legged outgoing Mini Electric. The Cooper E will get a brand new nickel-manganese-cobalt drive battery with 36.6kWh of usable capability, up from 28.9- within the outgoing automobile – and a WLTP Combined electrical vary of 190 miles (up from 140-) – with costs ranging from slightly below £30,000. That’s Mini delivering a 36 per cent enhance on usable vary, and preserving peak energy the identical because the outdated automobile, for broadly the identical worth for cash. Not unhealthy.

But if you would like extra of any of the above, the brand new Cooper SE now goes that little bit additional. Here, usable battery capability climbs to 49.2kWh; electrical motor energy to 215bhp; WLTP Combined vary to 249 miles; and the departure-point value to £34,500. There had been solely Cooper SEs to check in Barcelona, in order that’s the mannequin we’ll deal with right here – however Mini expects most Cooper electrical consumers to plump for the SE in any case.

And design-wise? Well, Mini has handled the design of its three-door, heartland-territory ‘icon’ mannequin moderately rigorously because it first appeared in 2001 – however this fourth-generation automobile is a bolder transfer. In pursuit of a cleaner- and extra upmarket look, it has taken away a lot of the outdated automobile’s brightwork, and some of its trademark design particulars.

There are not any cutsie foglamps, entrance wing badges, plastic wheelarch extensions or chunky chrome doorhandles on the brand new automobile. There’s a way more restrained entrance grille; and the wraparound clamshell bonnet – which so famously helped to outline the look of the 2001 BMW Group fashionable Mini, and thru which the headlights of subsequent generations have cheekily poked – has gone, too. The designers wished a smooth ‘pebble-like’ search for the brand new automobile, they are saying; however to those eyes, the impact is barely much less charismatic and endearing on the attention than we’ve develop into used to from Mini. Neater, maybe – however a bit bit much less distinctive and extra generic.

BMW

MINI Plant Oxford transitions to all-electric production with £600m investment in the UK

BMW Group has announced a new investment of over £600 million in the MINI factories at Oxford and Swindon. The goal is to develop the Oxford plant for the production of the next generation of electric MINIs and pave the way for future electric car manufacturing. Milan Nedeljković, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for production, stated, “With this new investment we will develop the Oxford plant for production of the new generation of electric MINIs and set the path for purely electric car manufacturing in the future.”

The Oxford plant is preparing to manufacture two new all-electric MINI models, the MINI Cooper 3-door and the compact crossover MINI Aceman, starting from 2026. By 2030, the production volume will be exclusively electric. BMW Group has already invested over £3 billion in its Swindon, Hams Hall, and Oxford plants since 2000. The UK Government has been supportive of this development, as it aims to secure jobs at the Oxford manufacturing plant and the body-pressing facility in Swindon.

Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch expressed her confidence in the UK economy and the government’s efforts to strengthen the automotive sector. She said, “We are proud to be able to support BMW Group’s investment, which will secure high-quality jobs, strengthen our supply chains, and boost Britain’s economic growth.”

The Oxford plant, celebrating its 110th anniversary this year, has been producing the current MINI Electric since 2019 alongside conventional models. According to Stefanie Wurst, Head of the MINI brand, Oxford remains the heart of the MINI brand. She stated, “The continuing high demand for our locally emission-free vehicles shows the openness of the global MINI community to electromobility, which we will be able to serve optimally, also thanks to Oxford.”

The MINI Plant Oxford currently manufactures the MINI 3-door, the MINI 5-door, the MINI Clubman, and the MINI Electric. From 2024, the plant will produce the next generation MINI 3-door and MINI 5-door with combustion engines, as well as the new MINI Convertible. In 2026, the plant will introduce the all-electric MINI Cooper 3-door and MINI Aceman. Initially, both internal combustion engine (ICE) and battery electric vehicles will be built on the same production line, with a production capacity of approximately 200,000 cars per year. However, from 2030, the Oxford Plant will exclusively produce all-electric MINI models.

In addition, the new MINI Countryman, a larger crossover model, will begin production at the BMW Group plant in Leipzig in a few weeks. The MINI Countryman will be available with both pure electric drive and combustion engines. Production of the next generation all-electric MINI Cooper 3-door and MINI Aceman will commence in China through a joint venture with Great Wall Motor, with exports expected to start in early 2024.

BMW

Successful Go-Live of New Production IT at BMW Group in Cooperation with SAP SE

Munich / Oxford. BMW Group has taken another step in the digitalization of its production by launching the new standardized BMW IT solution for production plants. The launch took place in August at the MINI Plant Oxford, making it the first worldwide implementation of the solution. The BMW Group and SAP SE have collaborated to develop a state-of-the-art technology that is based on modern, private cloud-based software and SAP S/4 HANA. This initiative aims to enhance the process and tool landscape for the entire automotive industry.

First Successful SAP S/4 HANA Go-Live in Automotive Production. The implementation at the Oxford plant serves as a blueprint for the digitalization of future automotive plants. The simultaneous rollout of new global logistics, finance, and customs process solutions forms the foundation for future global standardization using SAP S/4 HANA, SAP Analytics Cloud, and SAP GTS. This standardization enables mutual plant support, flexible employee deployment, synergy effects in support and training, and facilitates faster rollout of new solutions in the production network. Additionally, it ensures data consistency and transparency along the entire value chain. Utilizing data analytics and AI, the BMW Group aims to elevate plant management to a new level by linking relevant product, process, quality, financial, and cost data.

“The go-live at the Oxford plant is an important milestone in the digitalization process of our production. It is further evidence of the transformation that is anchored in the BMW iFACTORY. It is the starting point of one of the largest change projects in the history of our production network. The new IT standards will be implemented successively at our BMW Group production sites,” says Michael Nikolaides, Head of Production Network, Logistics at the BMW Group.

Defining the Future Orientation of BMW Group Plants and Manufacturing Technologies with BMW iFACTORY. In addition to aspects of LEAN and GREEN, the digitization of production is a central element of the transformation at BMW Group. Digitalization and innovative technologies have already impacted the entire production value chain and are further being developed in Smart Data Analytics, Smart Logistics, Innovative Automation & Assistance Systems, and Additive Manufacturing. The introduction of new production IT standards will particularly enhance BMW Group Logistics, Customs, and Controlling, increasing speed, quality, and flexibility.

“IT is business and business is IT. As one team, we have successfully implemented a highly complex project. As part of our digitization and harmonization strategy, with this new solution we are now able to link relevant product, process, quality, and cost data, enabling data consistency and transparency across the entire production chain. We are proud to be the innovation leader in the standardization of business processes and systems in the automotive industry,” says Alexander Buresch, CIO and SVP Group IT at BMW Group.

Oxford as the Hub of Process Digitalization and Harmonization Strategy. The MINI Plant in Oxford is the first plant in BMW Group’s networked factories to transition to a cloud architecture over the next few years. This will enable faster rollout of future innovations across all plants.

Co-Innovation of Two German Pioneers: BMW Group and SAP SE Set New Standards for the Automotive Industry. More than 1,000 colleagues from both companies have been involved in the project. SAP SE and BMW AG have enjoyed a strategic partnership for over 30 years, during which they have successfully implemented numerous co-innovation projects. They have now further developed the functionalities of S/4HANA specifically for the automotive industry.