New MINI 5-door Hatch starts rolling off the production line in Oxford

The first five-door MINI Hatch was revealed last month and production has now started, ahead of its arrival in showrooms, at MINI’s Oxford Plant.

MINi are wasting no time in getting the new 5-door MINI Hatch in to production following its reveal at the start of June, with the firs 5-door MINIs already rolling off the production line at MINI’s Oxford Plant.

The five-door MINI is the second MINI model to be built off BMW’s new UKL 1 platform – the new MIN I being the first – with the platform stretched to give the five-door an extra 72mm in it wheelbase, 15mm extra headroom and enough length to add a pair of (small) back doors).

And unlike the three-door Hatch, the new five-door Hatch will be available with a full suite of models from the off, with the SD Cooper included in the range from launch as well as the  Cooper, Cooper D and Cooper S.

Prices for the new five-door MINI are a bit up on the three-door (as you’d expect) with the fi9ve-door Cooper costing £15,900 (£600 up on the three-door) up to £20,050 for the five-door SD (three-door £19,450).

It seems a modest amount extra to pay if the extra room and extra pair of doors make the five-door MINI a more practical proposition for you than the three-door.

Business Secretary, Vince Cable, said:

The launch of the all-new 5-door MINI is a further boost for the UK’s manufacturing sector, and will help to secure jobs in Oxford and Swindon as part of BMW’s £750 million investment programme in the UK.

BMW’s continued commitment and investment in the UK underlines the continuing success story that is UK automotive manufacturing.

He’s not wrong.