History-making Mini adds another 1.5m

Just weeks after celebrating Mini's 50th birthday, Business Minister Ian Lucas and BMW director Ian Robertson joined a group of apprentices at the plant as the Chili red Clubman cleared the end of the line destined for a British customer. In the 41 years 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. The car is now sold in more than 80 countries, with its most recent launch in Brazil. Robertson said: "This is a great day for the plant and a wonderful milestone to reach in the 50th birthday year of Mini. The very first classic Mini rolled off the production line here at this plant on 8 May 1959." Robertson added, "This is a tough time for the car industry and no business is immune from its challenges, but Mini is an extremely resilient brand with huge customer appeal and we have seen a strengthening order bank in recent months. We will launch a number of new models in the coming years and we are optimistic for the future." Pictured: The Mini production line in 1959