Prince to tour MINI manufacturing facilities

HRH The Prince of Wales is to visit the BMW Group Oxford Plant to see the MINI production facilities as part of his scheduled visit to Oxfordshire on Wednesday 5 February 2003.

The Prince of Wales will have the opportunity to meet employees in the final assembly area of the plant which benefited from a £230 million investment in new production facilities to prepare for the launch of the MINI in July 2001.

Following the launch of the car, now on sale in over 60 countries worldwide, more than 700 new jobs have been created at the plant which now has a workforce of 4,500. More than 160,000 MINIs were built in 2002 and the plant works seven days a week on a three-shift system.