By the looks of it, BMW is feeling generous these days. Days after donating an iX to a vocational school in Nabburg, it’s handing over the keys to another electric crossover. This time, a MINI Countryman SE ALL4 will support the Municipal Vocational School for Metalworking and Automotive Engineering in Regensburg.
While the iX was valued at about €91,000, the first electric crossover from MINI is predictably cheaper. Nevertheless, it’s still worth a significant €64,000 in this configuration. Judging by the details, it appears to be a top-of-the-line John Cooper Works Trim. Car values aside, what matters the most is that it’s all for a good cause. The vehicle will play a key role in practical vocational training courses, helping students prepare for their future careers.
Although the handover event was organized by BMW Group Plant Regensburg, the EV wasn’t actually built there. This third-generation model is assembled in Leipzig. Its predecessors, however, were outsourced: the second-generation Countryman was produced by VDL Nedcar in Born, the Netherlands, while the original model came from Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria.
While those were the main production sites, localized manufacturing also took place in markets such as India, Indonesia, Brazil, Thailand, and Malaysia. Likewise, the current “U25” model is also assembled in Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Meanwhile, BMW’s Regensburg plant remains busy with other models, specifically the X1 and X2, along with their electric variants. It produced 342,521 vehicles in 2024, marking a massive 43.7% increase over the previous year. Regensburg was actually the third most productive plant in BMW’s global network last year, trailing only Dadong (China) with 343,973 units and Spartanburg (USA) with 396,117 SUVs.
BMW has already announced plans to manufacture a Neue Klasse EV in Regensburg, though it hasn’t revealed which one. All signs point to either the i1 hatchback or the i2 sedan entering production there around 2028, but we’ll have to wait for official confirmation.
Photos: BMW Deutschland
