THE NEW MINI FAMILY.

A camouflaged model of the new MINI Countryman in front of the BMW Group plant in Leipzig.

BMW Group Plant Leipzig Gears Up for MINI Countryman Production.

The new MINI Countryman will roll off the production line at the BMW Group plant in Leipzig starting at the end of this year – featuring either pure electric drive or a combustion engine. Here are four things you need to know about the place where the first MINI "Made in Germany” comes to life.

The vehicle shown is a development vehicle that is not available for sale. 

A collage of two pictures. On the left Stefanie Wurst, Head of MINI, in one of the production halls in Leipzig. On the right, a picture showing the front view of the new MINI Countryman.
Stefanie Wurst, Head of MINI, at the BMW Group plant in Leipzig. Here, the new MINI Countryman will be produced – the first MINI “Made in Germany”.
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1. Driver of a green strategy. 

Power generation from in-house wind energy and the use of green hydrogen are just two of the many things that make the BMW Group plant in Leipzig particularly sustainable. In the future, the new MINI Countryman – with both electric and combustion engine options – will be produced at this automotive factory, which is one of the most modern and eco-friendly ones worldwide. Therefore, the locally emission-free all-rounder is an excellent fit for that production site. As the company's pilot project for establishing a "green plant," a long-term, sustainable strategy for energy generation and consumption comes into play here. "The new all-electric MINI Countryman demonstrates what the brand stands for: an electrified go-kart feeling and a strong focus on a minimal environmental footprint," says Stefanie Wurst, Head of MINI. 

Petra Peterhaensel (Plant Director in Leipzig), Sonja Hengstler (Project Manager for the new MINI Countryman) and Stefanie Wurst (Head of MINI) standing next to the new MINI Countryman.
A successful team: Petra Peterhaensel (Plant Director in Leipzig), Sonja Hengstler (Project Manager for the new MINI Countryman) and Stefanie Wurst (Head of MINI) with the new MINI Countryman. The model will roll off the production line by the end of this year.

2. Sustainability is in the DNA of the Leipzig plant.  

As mentioned above, sustainability is in the genes of Plant Leipzig. Part of the energy required for automotive production can be generated by four wind turbines 190 meters high directly on the Leipzig plant site. In 2021, 21.9 GWh of electricity was generated from wind power, which is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of over 5,000 3-person households. "Our Leipzig vision is the complete decarbonization of production by replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen. At the BMW Group plant in Leipzig, we are the first automotive plant in the world to use a newly developed burner technology in our paint shop that can use green hydrogen instead of natural gas," says plant director Petra Peterhaensel. Hydrogen has already been used in plant logistics since 2013. Today, five hydrogen filling stations provide energy for over 130 fuel cell-powered industrial trucks, the largest fleet in Germany. The perfect conditions to build cars for a green future here.

: A collage of two pictures. On the left a portrait of Sonja Hengstler, Project Manager for the new MINI Countryman. On the right, a picture showing the side view of the new MINI Countryman.
Sonja Hengstler is the responsible Project Manager for the new MINI Countryman. Together with Plant Director Petra Peterhansel, she oversees the production of the new model.
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3. Ready to take on the future. 

The plant in Leipzig not only focuses on the manufacturing of vehicles but also pushes the production of e-components forward. Therefore, the BMW Group is expanding its capacities for e-component production at the Leipzig site by adding eight production lines by 2024, and investing more than 800 million euros. The future production area of 150,000 square meters, where e-components will be manufactured, represents a sustainable investment in the future viability of the Leipzig plant.

Sonja Hengstler (Project Manager for the new MINI Countryman), Stefanie Wurst (Head of MINI) and Petra Peterhaensel (Plant Director in Leipzig) in one of the production halls in Leipzig. Each standing next to a Countryman model.
Sonja Hengstler (Project Manager for the new MINI Countryman), Stefanie Wurst (Head of MINI) and Petra Peterhaensel (Plant Director in Leipzig) at the plant in Leipzig, which is one of the most modern and eco-friendly ones worldwide.

4. A strong workforce for the MINI Countryman.  

Leading the transformation of the production plant in Leipzig towards more electromobility and sustainable production of both e-components and entire vehicles are plant director Petra Peterhaensel, and Sonja Hengstler, project manager for the new MINI Countryman. A core workforce of 5,600 employees produces around 1,000 vehicles daily, including the new models of MINI Countryman. Its particularly flat high-voltage battery, which offers additional space and greater comfort, will be produced at the at the BMW Group Plant Leipzig as well.