BMW has revealed plans to invest £500m in UK car production, including at its Hams Hall plant near Birmingham, over the next three years.

BMW said the investment, the majority of which will be will be used to create new production facilities and equipment, will help to safeguard more than 5,000 jobs in the Mini vehicle assembly plant in Oxford, the pressings plant in Swindon and the company’s engine plant at Hams Hall near Birmingham.

Norbert Reithofer, the BMW Group chairman, outlined his company’s plans for further investment at a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron at Downing Street.

He said: “We have started preparing our UK plants for production of the next generation Mini and this investment underlines that the UK will remain the heart of Mini production.

“The Mini brand has made a significant contribution to BMW Group’s success in markets around the world and we anticipate that this will grow further in the future.”

This additional £50m takes BMW’s investment across all its UK operations to more than £1.5bn since 2000.

BMW also revealed that the UK will be a production location for its next generation on Mini models.

Sandwell Council’s business networking forum  www.finditinsandwell.co.uk will be exploring ways to bring supply chain opportunities to our local businesses.