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.

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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.