BMW to end Mini Countryman output at Nedcar plant

BMW Group will stop making the Mini Countryman in the Netherlands when the current model finishes, moving output of the premium compact SUV's successor into one of its own factories, the company said.

"Unfortunately, we are unable to comply with VDL Nedcar's request for the production of the Mini Countryman successor," BMW said in statement emailed to Automotive News Europe.

Countryman output at the factory in Born, Netherlands, will end in 2024, a report in the Financial Times said.

BMW declined to say when Nedcar would stop making the Countryman, adding that the decision was not related to the quality of production at the facility, which has built cars for BMW since 2014, but a response to a changing business environment because of the pandemic.

"Development in the markets and customer demand are decisive factors in this evaluation as well as the utilization of the capacity of our own BMW Group plants. Safeguarding our employees' jobs is a top priority," the statement said.

BMW said that Nedcar would continue to build other models for the company "for many years."

Last year Nedcar built 174,097 cars for BMW, down from 211,660 in 2018, a record year, according to VDL. The facility currently builds the Countryman, Mini Cabrio and BMW X1 premium compact SUV.