Following this, Mr Smith said: “I expected the Secretary of State to hide from talk of CVs, it seems that also applies to EVs (electric vehicles), because this weekend, we saw the disastrous consequences of Labour’s rigid approach to net zero: BMW hitting the brakes on a £600 million investment into plant Oxford.
He added: “The effects of their puritanical ZEV (zero emission vehicle) obsession is already clear: JLR say the ZEV mandate is causing severe disruption to the market, Vauxhall confirmed it would shut down its Luton factory, citing the ZEV mandate making the plant less economically viable, and now the future of plant Oxford, the home of the mini since 1959, is uncertain.
Ms Jones also said: “It was really clear in the statement that BMW made that there were macroeconomic global and commercial reasons why the decision to delay has been made, but BMW are also clear that they are still committed to this investment in the UK.”.
Business minister Sarah Jones said BMW’s decision was a result of “macroeconomic global and commercial reasons” and said the Government is working to create conditions in which the automotive industry can “thrive”.
“I know this news will undoubtedly be unsettling for the company’s many hardworking employees, not least those working directly on the production line, but I must stress that BMW remains committed to its investment in the UK, and it is by no means unusual for a manufacturer to adjust their product line-up or production start dates for commercial reasons.”.
