Just weeks after celebrating its 50th birthday, another milestone has been reached as the 1.5 millionth car rolled off Plant Oxford's production line, since the launch of the new Mini in 2001.

UK Business Minister Ian Lucas, responsible for the automotive sector at the government department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and BMW Group board member Ian Robertson joined a group of Plant Oxford apprentices as the Chili red Mini Clubman cleared the end of the production line. The car is destined for a British customer.

BMW Group has invested over £380 million in Plant Oxford since 2001 and a further £100 million in the Hams Hall and Swindon plants, which make up the Mini Production Triangle in the UK. The group employs more than 7,000 people in the UK, and its activities account for one per cent of the country's GDP. The company has invested more than £1 billion in the UK since 2000.

Recently, it was announced that BMW Group will trial an all-electric Mini in the UK - the Mini E - having won government backing through the Technology Strategy Board and regional development agency SEEDA.

BMW will lead a consortium, including Scottish and Southern Energy and academic partner Oxford Brookes University, to evaluate the social, economic and practical issues of living with an electric vehicle. Mini E is already being trialled in the US and Germany.

Between 1959 and 2000, 5.3 million classic Minis were built, so the total when combined with new Mini volume is 6.8 million cars.