Mini celebrate their 60th anniversary and crosses a new milestone with the manufacture of their 10 millionth car.
British marque, Mini, have been producing cars since 1959 and this year marks their 60th anniversary. 24 July marked a new milestone for Mini with the production of their 10 millionth car globally. To celebrate the 60th anniversary, Mini have been searching for 60 Mini owners from each year of production – from 1959 to 2019. The celebration will take place at Oxford and the owners of the cars will display their vehicles alongside sharing a personal story of the importance of their Mini. The cars will be led by the very first car built by Mini – 621 AOK and the 10 millionth Mini will be showcased at the back of the lot.
The classic Mini was launched in 1959 and designed by Alec Issigonis. The cars were produced at Oxford until 1968, before moving to Longbridge, near Birmingham, where they continued to be built until October 2000. Almost 5.3 million Minis were sold between the period from 1959 to 2000. The brand was reborn in 2001 under BMW and sales have only gotten higher since. Last year Mini saw a sale of 400,000 units in 110 countries across the globe.
Three UK plants have a part to play in Minis production today – Hams Hall near Birmingham makes engines, Swindon produces the body pressings and sub-assemblies for Mini, and this all comes together at the Oxford manufacturing plant with body shell production, paint and final assembly. The daily output at Oxford has grown from around 300 cars a day in 2001 to around 1,000 today. The 4,500 strong workforce at Oxford produce one new Mini every 67 seconds.
BMW have been investing in the brand and Mini will soon begin production of electric vehicles at Oxford and mark the beginning of a new era for the brand.
Story: Azaman Chothia
