Final second-generation Mini leaves production line

THE FINAL Mini hatchback of the current generation has left the production line in Oxford, after more than a million were made for customers around the world.

There’s no time for production staff to rest, though, with assembly of the new Mini hatchback already under way alongside the many other Mini model derivatives.

In total, more than 1.8 million hatchback Minis have been built at the factory since 2001, of which 1,041,412 were the currently outgoing model.

The beginning of the car’s seven-year life saw the introduction of turbocharged engines and suspension revisions that helped to cement its reputation for great driving dynamics and the ability to put a smile on a driver’s face.

The outgoing car succeeded the original ‘new’ Mini, which was built between 2001 and 2006.

Its replacement only hits showrooms next spring, with the last remaining stock of the outgoing car measured to satisfy global demand until then.

Last year 14% of all cars built in the UK were Minis, and the quirky brand’s models made up the same proportion of all cars exported from the UK.

By Press Association reporter