BMW and Great Wall announced the launch of their new joint venture in China called Spotlight Automotive, which will establish a new factory dedicated in producing future electric Mini models.
The new factory will be located near Zhangjiagang, China and have an annual capacity of 160,000 vehicles. As reported back in July, the new facility will build both electric Minis and electric vehicles for Great Wall.
The new joint venture also includes the collaboration between BMW and Great Wall in developing future electric vehicles, with the two car makers not providing further details on them.
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Mini’s core factory in Oxford, UK, will remain “the heart and home” of the company, while the new Spotlight Automotive will provide extra capacity and flexibility. The new Mini Electric will be produced in the UK and go on sale early next year.
The new factory in China represents a $716 million investment (650 million euros), with construction set to begin in 2020. Once completed in 2022, the facility is expected to create around 3,000 jobs after the ramp-up phase.
“This joint venture will enable us to produce a larger number of MINI-brand-fully electric vehicles at attractive conditions for the world market,” said Nicolas Peter, member of BMW’s Board of Management. “This is also an important strategic step for the MINI brand. The joint venture with Great Wall underlines the enormous importance of the Chinese market for us.”
BMW has also another joint venture in China together with Brilliance, which will be responsible for the production of the battery electric iX3 from 2020.
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