BMW’s Mini engine plant is located in Warwickshire, the British Midlands, which is part of BMW’s UK ‘manufacturing triangle’. The Warwickshire assembly line recently achieved a significant milestone, it built its one-millionth engine since production first started at the plant seven years ago.

The continued growth of the Mini’s popularity has enabled BMW to add over 250 jobs, bringing the total workforce at the plant to over 1,000.

“In 2007, the Range Rover, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, and Mini brands all saw record sales numbers,” said Vern Sebby, President and CEO of British Midlands Development Corporation “Even though these brands have been bought by foreign companies, I think this speaks volumes to the popularity of British automotive design.”

“The Midlands has long been known as a center of automotive design and engineering excellence, not only in these typically British consumer brands, but also in Formula One and high-performance engineering.”

“There is a tradition of excellence in design and engineering here in the Midlands, but equally, we’re seeing a lot of activity and innovation in bringing the industry green,” added Sebby, “The automotive industry in the Midlands is at the forefront of the movement to make automobiles more eco-friendly.”

Home to Toyota, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin, and many other automotive businesses, the Midlands produces over 40 percent of the UK vehicle output. There arefour major assembly operations in the Midlands, Jaguar, Land Rover, Peugeot, and Toyota.

The British Midlands Development Corporation is the North American economic development agency for central England. The Midlands region is located just one hour to the north of London and includes the major commercial centers of Birmingham, Nottingham, Coventry and Northampton.

The British Midlands Development Corporation is based in Chicago with branch offices in Boston, Washington, DC and San Jose.

For more information, visit www.thebritishmidlands.com.