Just a few days after the GREAT campaign was launched in Munich on March 1, Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, welcomed MINI’s support to promote the best of Britain around the world. At the BMW Group Munich headquarters, he signed the guestbook and was shown the new MINI Roadster by Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board, BMW AG and Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Marketing.
As an iconic British brand which is recognised internationally, MINI is a natural partner for the ‘GREAT’ Britain campaign. Since 2001, over 1.6 million of the two million British-built MINIs have been exported to customers in 100 countries around the world from Australia to Venezuela.
Lord Green remarked: “As a GREAT global brand with strong UK roots, MINI demonstrates the best of British manufacturing, expertise, culture, heritage and style.”
Last year, Prime Minister David Cameron drove the two-millionth MINI to be manufactured in Oxford off of the production line in person. Producing 191,474 vehicles in 2011, MINI was the third-largest vehicle manufacturer in the UK, accounting for 14 per cent of national automotive production. There are currently five MINI models built in the UK – Hatchback, Convertible, Clubman, Coupé and the soon to be launched Roadster.
Since MINI went into production in 2001, the BMW Group has invested over £1.5 billion in its operations in the UK, including an announcement of another 500 million last year. The company contributes £1.2 billion to UK GDP and MINI production supports over 5,000 UK jobs.
The UK is Bavaria’s sixth-largest export market and last year, the UK exported 4 billion pounds’ worth of goods and services to Bavaria.
