http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4246215.stm

 

"Last year, almost one in six cars sold by the BMW group was a Mini."




Clover

 

There's an article in the current issue of Automotive News about the same subject. The article states that the investment will give the plant an ultimate capacity of 250 - 300,000 units (if needed), and also references the upcoming new model in 2007. The changes are characterized as evolutionary, resulting in a less expensive car to build, but also a chassis that can be altered to handle derivatives less expensively. "A widened track and more flexible platform" is how they describe it. The two new models mentioned in the article as possibilites are a sport wagon and roadster.