Motoring Editor STEVE NELSON visits the MINI production line at the start of a whole new adventure for the iconic car.

There's a sign on a wall at BMW's MINI assembly plant in Oxford containing an astonishing statistic.

It says there are 15 million billion variants of the car through the seemingly endless list of option and specification combinations.

They will have to put up a new sign soon with a few more noughts added to the figure as the latest models leave the factory.

Last month, a new MINI One and the first Cooper diesel model, the Cooper D, joined the second-generation line-up, five months after the launch of the new Cooper and Cooper S models. Joining them was the MINI Convertible Sidewalk, offering exclusive and additional options across the range.

Later this year - a year in which record sales and order rates have already been recorded and in which the one millionth MINI has rolled off the production line since launch in 2001 - a new Clubman will join the ranks.

What we are witnessing here is quite simply an automotive phenomenon.

It is a fabulous success story for British manufacturing, with engines constructed at the Midlands-based Plant Hams Hall and body panels arriving from BMW's Swindon operation.

Not only that, it is one of the most spectacularly successful marketing operations ever seen in the car industry. The MINI culture of desirability, belonging and tender loving care has been carefully nurtured by BMW.

It extends to the second-hand market as well, through the Cherished scheme, and residual values remain excellent.

Exports are now made to 70 countries, with the USA, Germany, Italy and Japan the top markets as MINI becomes the third largest motor manufacturer in the UK.

A record 44,770 new MINIs took to the UK roads in 2005, and although there was a slight dip last year, 2007 should see that record re-written. Both at home and abroad, the Cooper is the most popular model.

The potential to personalise a design is a fundamental reason for buying a MINI. There were 337 possible exterior combinations at the last count, together with 264 possible interior colour and trim combinations.

Customers are able to change engine type, colour or options on their purchase up to a week before assembly begins at Oxford.

And, in MINI-speak, they are able to tailor the specifications as if they were taking about condiments, choosing salt, pepper or Chili packs.

That might sound like a nightmare scenario for a factory manager, but in practice the system works.

Each car is made chronologically according to order, and so a "Smartie" chain of different-coloured cars is likely to emerge at the end of the line.

All pressings and body components are delivered just in time from Swindon directly to the body production, sometimes within four hours of issuing the parts call-up.

The number of welding robots in the bodyshop is 429 and the bodyshell production process is 95 per cent automated. How different must this place have looked in the sixties, following the 1959 launch and production of the old Mini at Cowley under the Morris marque.

The production triangle of Hams Hall, Swindon and Oxford has received almost £200 million investment and employs a total of 6,350 so-called associates. About 4,700 of these associates work at Plant Oxford despite the advanced automation.

In order to meet the extraordinary demands of such a system, there are three shifts working a total of 140 hours a week. By next year, it is expected that 240,000 MINIs per annum will be produced. That's phenomenal.


Cooper D delivers 64.2mpg

The MINI Cooper D is the BMW Group's cleanest car ever.

Its new 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine develops 110hp at 4,000rpm and emits only 118 grams per kilometre of C02.

But the impressive figures don't stop there. Aluminium lightweight construction contributes to the lowest fuel consumption for any MINI model yet at 64.2mpg.

It's no slouch, either, with a top speed of 121mph and 0-62mph time of 9.9 seconds.

Under normal conditions, peak torque of 240Nm is achieved between 1,750 and 2,000rpm.

Deploying the engine's Overboost function briefly gives the Cooper D an additional 20Nm of torque, meaning the driver will experience260Nm at 2,000rpm. MINI anoraks will recognise this torque figure as identical to that produced by the Cooper S.

Its standard specification features 15-inch alloy wheels with a five-star spooler.

A white or black contrast roof and door mirrors are available, together with a roof spoiler in the roof colour.

A chrome-plated grille and tailgate handle and tinted glass complete the look.

Automatic Stability Control +Traction is also fitted above the Cooper specification.

The single chrome tailpipe is the same as that on the Cooper, despite being a diesel, due to a particulate filter.

This filter reduces exhaust emissions and helps make the diesel engine one of the most environmentally friendly engines in its class.

An automatic version will be available in the autumn.

The MINI Cooper D is priced from £14,175.