BMW has said its Oxford Mini Plant has not yet faced Brexit delay problems, even though a company chief has warned that no-deal could cost it 'hundreds of millions' of Euros.

The car company's chief financial officer has warned that if no trade deal is reached between Britain and the European Union by the end of the transition period on December 31, then the extra costs of tariffs will have to be passed onto customers.

But as other car manufacturers, including the Honda plant in Swindon, have had to close down due to delivery issues at Britain's ports, a BMW spokesman said the company was not facing the same problem.

ALSO READ: Rebel Guide Dog has to retire early and live with Didcot family

Speaking to the Financial Times this week, BMW finance chief Nicholas Peter said the company had 'plans [for price increases] in the drawer' which would take effect if there is no deal between the UK and EU by the end of the year.

The FT reported he was confident the Mini Plant 'would not have to shut its Oxford plant in the immediate aftermath of a no-deal Brexit, because BMW had stockpiled components'.

Mr Peter also added it was too early to tell whether no-deal tariffs would affect the long term future of the Oxford Mini Plant.

While the aftermath of no deal has led to worries for the Oxford employer, the car maker has made assurances that its supply chain is currently protected.

Last week, it was reported that the Honda car factory in Swindon would shut down production because of delays in its supply chain.

Oxford Mail:

Picture: John Lewis

The company, alongside many others, had ordered extra car parts to stockpile in preparation for a no-deal Brexit, but this had led to delays at the UK's ports where they goods were being sorted.

A BMW spokesman said it had not suffered similar problems because of preparations it had made ahead of January 1.

The spokesman said: "‘Our Oxford and Swindon plants have already started their scheduled Christmas shutdown, with a number of planned projects including a significant upgrade to our paint-shop.

"Planned annual maintenance periods are common practice at BMW Group production sites worldwide.

ALSO READ: Oxford Brookes student accused of lying after reporting sexual violence

"They allow essential updating, equipment replacement, cosmetic improvements to be completed over several weeks, while there is no production taking place.

"In general, our business is well prepared for a wide range of different scenarios that may have an impact on delivery schedules.

"Even though we do see some longer transit times, there is currently no impact on our production or maintenance work.’"

According to figures reported in the FT, BMW’s UK factory in Oxford produces more than 220,000 Minis per year.

BMW was due to cut back on the number of agency workers at the Mini Plant earlier this year due to the economic hit of lockdown.

But these plans were halted, and the company has no plan to change the decision.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For news updates straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on news@nqo.com or 01865 425 445.