MINI cars helped lift BMW Group turnover in the third quarter of the year.

Sales of the Mini Hatch, made at BMW’s plant in Cowley, were up 12 per cent between the beginning of July and end of September.

And the German-based firm expects its newly launched five-door Mini to boost its fortunes further by December 31.

Production of the new Mini at the Cowley plant started in 2001 and more than three million cars have rolled off the production line since then.

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BMW Group’s total sales for the three months to the end of September were 19.6bn euros (£15.4bn), up 4.5 per cent on 18.8bn euros (£14.8bn) a year earlier.

Board chairman Norbert Reithofer said: “We continued to perform well in both the third quarter and over the nine-month period within an increasingly challenging environment.”

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