About 100,000 Minis will eventually leave its new factory in Oxford, with between a fifth and a quarter of them destined for UK car buyers.
A-year-and-a-half after the last Mini rolled off Rover's assembly line in Longbridge, this cute, little car has returned.
About 100,000 Minis will eventually leave its new factory in Oxford, with between a fifth and a quarter of them destined for UK car buyers.
But this time around, the Mini's parent is not British.
And, say critics, neither is the car.
Jewel in the crown
When, a year ago, the German car maker BMW got rid of its ailing UK subsidiary, Rover, the one thing it wanted to keep was the Mini.
"There's nothing in the BMW range which comes close to what the Mini is, nor will there ever be," says Mini's general manager, Trevor Houghton-Berry, a former fleet director at Rover.
"So its very much in line with the Group strategy of producing premium cars, from Mini down in the smaller sector, right to the top".
BMW saw the Mini as the jewel in the Rover crown, and still seems convinced that the Mini will sell well - despite its relatively high price.
Not least since the car is really not much more than a good looking two-seater with a big boot, or a very tight rear seat.
Hip car
The new Mini will not be sold as a small car for the masses, but as a nippy, hip car for the young and image-conscious with money to burn.
BMW dismisses suggestions that the new Mini, which is 11 inches longer than the old one, lacks the Go-kart qualities of the original, made famous by the movie 'The Italian Job' during the 1960s.
"The car is an original Mini," insists Rainer Bickmann, assembly director of BMW Group in Oxford.
"It's in principle the same technical concept as the old Mini".
Not BMW
Mr Bickmann also insists that the Mini is not a small BMW.
It will be sold by dedicated Mini sales staff working in dedicated Mini dealerships.
However, these will be based in and be part of BMW's 148 dealerships in the UK.
"But it is not branded as a BMW and that is not the goal for us to do that," Mr Bickmann said.
"What we are doing is use the BMW technology and the BMW know-how to create a car which can achieve the targets for that premium brand in that market".
But why not tell the customers that, in fact, they are buying a BMW?
"Because with a BMW, we address a different target group. The Mini is for a target group with a different lifestyle than the BMW customer," he says.
Size matters
It seems only fitting that this old British icon should be the one to throw a lifeline to one Britain's most historic car factories, providing 2,500 jobs.
But inside this labyrinth of workshops, paint shops and assembly lines, it appears obvious that if there is one word that does not describe it, then it is fitting.
For as is often the case with this curious looking car; it quite simply seems to be too small - while the factory seems to be too large.
Spacious factory
First impressions suggest that this must be the most spacious car factory on earth.
Indeed, only a year ago it had to be big, when it was turning out considerably larger cars, Rover's 75.
With the Mini, even at full capacity, it seems unlikely that the assembly line will turn into the sort of heaving inferno that characterised the old-style Rover production line.
The Mini assembly seems different to that of other cars.
The quiet, calm atmosphere makes it look as if the workers are producing microchips instead of cars.
This is not only because the factory is operating below its planned output at the moment.
Mr Bickmann insists that the calm atmosphere is a sign of composure, of control.
And given that each of the Minis turned out are customised to clients' needs, a degree of skilled work is required.
"We have now seventy-six free available [customisation] options for the customer," promises Mr Bickmann.
Making money
But will it make money, or will BMW lose its shirt again? That is the question shareholders and factory workers alike want answered.
"Financially, the contribution this car will make to the [BMW] Group is perfectly acceptable," insists Mr Houghton-Berry.
"Though on a per unit basis it may not be as profitable as some BMW models".
He is even able to reassure workers who, when asked if they feel their jobs are safe, answer: "No place is safe is it? No place is safe. It's reasonably all right. I think it's all right at the moment."
Their boss is more optimistic. "This is a program that works financially and it will ultimately fund future Minis," says Mr Houghton-Berry.