The programmes – hosted by James May, Ant Anstead and Kate Humble – will reveal the science, the engineering and meet the people that produce almost 1,000 Minis in Oxford every day. The presenters will follow the building of a Mini from start to finish in a little over 24 hours.
Building Cars Live will also visit other car manufacturers across the UK to explore the evolution of global mass car production and look at Britain’s burgeoning automotive sector.
The programme will take a detailed look at the Mini plant, its 102-year history and the high-tech and innovative manufacturing processes involved in building cars in Oxford and exporting them to more than 110 markets around the world.
It will examine how a Mini starts life as a roll of steel at the sister-plant in Swindon, then makes its way through the body shop where it is pieced together with up to 6,000 welds, then through the paint process, into assembly and finally through a series of diagnostic tests.
“The myth that all modern manufacturing is carried out by robots will be dispelled as the programme examines the skills, training and teamwork that puts people at the heart of modern car building,” added BMW.
Some of the plant’s 4,000 employees will explain their jobs, demonstrating everything from producing the body to the paint process, final assembly and the detailed quality testing in the climate chamber and on the test track.
