A brief history of Mini and MINIThe MINI, whose first generation was designed by Frank Stephenson, is drawing inspiration from the original Mini, which was manufactured by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 to 2000. The name of the car's brand, MINI, is all-capitalised to distinguish it from its predecessor.
The development of the first generation had been done between 1995 and 2001 by the Rover Group in Gaydon, UK and BMW AG in Munich, Germany and was accompanied by continual contention between Rover and BMW. Rover wanted an economy car, whilst BMW supported a small sporting car and finally prevailed. In 1999 BMW assumed control over the whole project after BMW's CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder had left the company.
When BMW divested itself of Rover in 2000, BMW kept the MINI project and decided to build the car, which was originally to be built at the Longbridge plant, the former production plant of the original Mini or at the Oxford plant in Cowley, Oxford, in what was historically the Pressed Steel Company body plant.
However, the decision was made early on, the Longbridge Plant was sold to the MG Rover Group in 2000 and the MINI was to be built primarily at Plant Oxford. In 2005 the MG Rover Group went into administration and most of the Longbridge site has since been demolished.
The MINI production can be split into three stages; the engines are built at Plant Hams Hall near Birmingham, the body panels, shells and pressings are manufactured at Plant Swindon with assembly painting and finishing is at Plant Oxford.
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