Speaking at the Detroit motor show, Mr Kruger Production of some models will be moved later this year the contract assembler Nedcar in Holland, which has faced an uncertain future after Mitsubishi’s decision to pull out.

Kruger added: ‘We have not decided yet which models we will produce in Holland but we definitely need the additional production capacity.’

MINI has already started overseas production using the Magna Steyr factory in Austria to building the Countryman and the Paceman models. Kruger said that the brand will continue to use contract assemblers to make up production volume.

‘It gives us the necessary flexibility to increase or decrease production and move model lines around if necessary,’ he added. ‘It also makes more sense than investing in all new facilities around the world.

Kruger added that the United States is now MINI’s largest market. It sold 66,000 models there last year. The UK is number two at 51,000 followed by Germany at 37,000. Coming up fast on the rails, however, is China with 23,000 sales in 2012.

‘Production capacity is something we have to monitor all the time because of the success of cars globally but Oxford will always be the home of MINI,’ concluded Mr Kruger.