THE MAKING OF THE NEW MINI COOPER.
FROM FIRST IDEA TO FINAL EXECUTION.
The wait is over. We recently (and very proudly) unveiled the new MINI Cooper at Plant Oxford – ready to take over from the MINI 3-Door Hatch in classic go-kart fashion. The man behind the wheel of the first one off the production line? None other than Charlie Cooper, our MINI ambassador and grandson of the John Cooper.
,,I’ve been lucky enough to test the pre-production cars, even in extreme conditions such as ice lakes in Sweden, but to drive the first production model made me feel incredibly proud. To see my grandfather’s legacy live on is an incredible feeling. It’s an honour to maintain the family link with MINI."
THIS IS HOW WE ROLL… OFF THE LINE.
Charlie pressing that start button marked the beginning of a brand-new adventure for MINI. It also signified the end of a long journey that took the new MINI Cooper from first concept to final car. Read on to discover the stages involved and hear from some of the Plant Oxford team behind the magic.
REINVENTING AN ICON.
It all started with an idea. Our designers rewrote the rulebook and redefined our original MINI icon. After lots of research, sketching, 2D designs and clay models (and much more), their vision was complete. A new MINI Cooper with sculptured surfaces, sleek lines and a futuristic feel defined by its distinctive octagonal front grille and unmistakable MINI LED headlights – plus that good ol’ MINI charm.
THE DESIGN TEAM START EVERY NEW MINI BY BUILDING THE ENTIRE THING OUT OF CLAY FIRST. SMOOTH…
A BIG IDEA BECOMES A MINI REALITY.
At Plant Oxford, the body pressings and sub-assemblies from Swindon meet the petrol engines made at Hams Hall in Warwickshire. The parts are then sent to the ‘Body in White’ facility where they’re turned – by a team of over 1,200 robots – into the body of a new MINI Cooper. The laser technology is so advanced it can detect any deviation from the correct alignment by just half the width of a human hair!
To learn more, we caught up with Wayne Wickens, who has worked at Plant Oxford for 24 years and oversees this very important step of the MINI-making process.
"We call it the robot dance – they do ballet, they move together inside the car. They come out at a certain time to allow another robot to come in and do a different process. […] It's absolutely amazing how much work goes into getting that right.
I take huge personal pride in being part of a very successful team that has brought this MINI to its launch. And I hope a lot of people would feel like that. I think they do here because MINI is a big community."
IN 1996 THERE WERE 229 ROBOTS.
NOW THERE'S AROUND 1,200!
A SPLASH OF COLOUR, PLEASE.
Next, we’re ready to get painting. The colour of someone’s MINI is real expression of their individual style – so the new MINI Cooper is available in a range of vibrant shades, from statement Sunny Side Yellow to iconic British Racing Green. We managed to grab a minute with Plant Oxford’s Dominika Pietrynko, who told us a little more about the paint process and her personal favourite colours.
"Personally, the car getting painted is the most exciting part of the production process. One of the main amazing things about MINI is the fact that we have such an amazing colour palette.
I was involved in introducing Ocean Wave Green as one of the first colours and felt very lucky to be part of that process – from putting it into the system and then seeing the colour come out at the other end, before optimising it to make sure it was in spec. […] I felt really proud seeing that car come out. "
There are plenty of other ways to personalise the new MINI Cooper too. From trims to tech to colour combos and handy accessories, we’ve made it easy for you to tailor your MINI to suit your lifestyle. Ready to build your ideal Cooper?
ACROSS THE NEW MINI FAMILY MODELS THERE ARE 10 DIFFERENT PAINT COLOURS TO CHOOSE FROM.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER.
The body is built. The paint is on. Now it’s time for the assembly team to do their well-oiled thing and put our new MINI Cooper together. They assemble the cockpit, front end, electrical wiring, engine, wheels, doors and selected trim (from which there are plenty to choose). The tech is all wired up too – including the world-first circular OLED display that features in all our new models to deliver the most intuitive MINI experience yet.
Our expert in this area? Humiayan Shaukat – part of Plant Oxford’s incredible assembly team.
"The new MINI Cooper has kept its heritage really well in terms of design. I feel like the technology is my favourite bit about the car, especially the OLED display."
IT TAKES JUST 5 HOURS FOR A MINI TO GO THROUGH THE ASSEMBLY HALL AT PLANT OXFORD.
THE FINAL CHECKS.
The new MINI Cooper is all assembled, looking fabulous and just about ready to hit the road. The last stage before Charlie Cooper gets behind the wheel? A seriously detailed bonnet-to-boot quality check – to make sure it stacks up to the standards we’ve been setting here since 1959. If it passes with flying colours, it’s ready to drive away… delivering that go-kart handling, feel-good drive, and iconic Cooper spirit.
Lianne Veasey has worked at Plant Oxford for a decade and specialises in quality control.
"All the details are important. One small thing at the beginning of the process that's not noticed will cause a big problem when it gets to the end of a production line. We make sure that those things don't get through in the first place.
Everybody that I speak to in this plant is extremely proud to work here. We get direct feedback about how customers feel when they receive our MINIs. […] And it does make us feel very proud to deliver those cars."
THE CLIMATE CHAMBER SIMULATES THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS THAT THE CAR MIGHT EXPERIENCE OUT ON THE ROAD. THIS RANGES FROM -40 TO +90 DEGREES CELSIUS… BRING YOUR COAT!
INSPIRED BY THE ORIGINAL.
And so the production process is complete, and what a journey it was! Back in 1961, John Cooper transformed Mini’s teeny family car into a champion racer. The Mini Cooper was born. In the same decade, it won almost every competition imaginable - including the Monte Carlo Rally - and became a lasting icon. The beloved MINI 3-Door Hatch was produced at Plant Oxford from 2001. Today, Plant Oxford is home to our reimagined original icon: the new MINI Cooper.
There’s nobody better to end to the Cooper story than Donna Roper – a tour guide at the MINI Museum, whose family members have worked at Plant Oxford for three generations!
"Three generations of my family have worked at Plant Oxford. My grandfather started in 1927, my dad started in 1947 and I started in 1978. I always feel that sense of connection to my history and the plant’s history. And then there's this new product as well, which has a longer history in fact."
PLANT OXFORD HAS PRODUCED CARS SINCE 1913, AND MINIS SINCE 1959. THAT’S 111 YEARS OF MOTORING HISTORY!