While the economic news has been as subdued as the weather over recent weeks and months, the car industry appears to be enjoying something of a boom. A whole range of car plants in the UK are doing rather well, with demand from China and India helping to make up for budgeting local populations.

And the news has gotten even brighter , with news that BMW is investing a further £250m in to British manufacturing sites, namely Cowley (Oxford), Birmingham and Swindon – in order to increase output of the ever-popular Mini.

The idea of reviving the sixties classic must have seemed something of a gamble to the BMW top brass back in 2001, but it has certainly paid off. While the British themselves have fallen in love with the updated version of the Mini, so have thousands of motorists around the world. With British styling and German technical excellence, the Mini is one of the few cars that can be described as ‘a great deal of fun’ – without the need to call your Annual Breakdown Cover provider on a regular basis.

After 11 years on the market, it’s clear that the updated design captured enough of the cheeky magic possessed by the original to be a success. And while many are under the impression that the old Mini ceased production sometime in the seventies, the truth is that the original was built right up to 2000, making the Mini sub-brand one of the longest-running and successful of all time.

With impressive output from Japanese-owned British car plants such as those run by Honda and Nissan, the story of UK automotive success continues.