GENEVA -- BMW could move some production of engines and its Mini cars out of Britain if the country does not secure an orderly departure from the European Union, the automaker said on Tuesday, in the latest Brexit warning from the auto industry.

Britain, the world's fifth-largest economy, is due to leave the EU on March 29, but an agreement between London and Brussels has been rejected by British lawmakers leaving open the possibility of a chaotic exit that could hit trade.

One risk of a no-deal Brexit is that British-made engines will no longer be counted as EU content, pushing the total level in some cars below the threshold of about 55 percent to 60 percent required in many international trade agreements.

"We have some flexibility on the engine side with Steyr in Austria," Peter Schwarzenbauer, the head of BMW's Mini brand, told Reuters at the auto show here today, referring to another BMW plant. "We would need to make some adjustments toward Steyr."

"We are preparing to be able to do it. Like we are preparing warehouses in the UK to produce cars," Schwarzenbauer said.

BMW also builds Minis at the VDL contract manufacturing plant in Born, Netherlands.

A final decision on whether to transfer some production of engines from Hams Hall, central England, where BMW built more than 375,000 powerplants last year, to Austria has not yet been taken, Schwarzenbauer added.

Asked by Sky News if BMW could move Mini production out of its factory in Oxford, southern England, in the event of a chaotic Brexit, Schwarzenbauer said: "We at least have to consider it."

Britain's car industry, which employs about 850,000 people and is largely owned by foreign manufacturers, has been rushing to prepare for a potential no-deal Brexit, such as building up inventories and in some cases organizing plant closures around Brexit day.

Prime Minister Theresa May said last week that if UK lawmakers again rejected her Brexit deal, she would offer them a series of votes that could lead her to ask Brussels for a delay.

BMW said in September it was moving the annual maintenance shutdown for its Oxford plant to April as a hedge against Brexit-caused disruption.

"We have made preparations. If Brexit is delayed we can postpone some measures, but the early summer break remains scheduled for April," CEO Harald Krüger said at the show.

Shutdowns and stockpiles take time and money to arrange, for example, employee holidays and suppliers are affected, making them hard to change.

While carmakers are keen to avoid a no-deal Brexit, they also do not want the process to drag on.

BMW, PSA, Daimler

Japanese carmaker Toyota also called for clarity on Brexit.

"Frankly speaking, we would just like to get certainty as quickly as possible," Toyota Europe CEO Johan van Zyl said at an event late Monday, echoing recent comments from UK supercar maker Aston Martin.

Van Zyl said Brexit planning had come at a "huge cost" and warned Britain needed to secure a frictionless trade deal with the EU.

"If anything happens between the EU and UK that will have a negative impact on competitiveness of the UK operations, it will put the future in doubt," he said, referring to the entire UK car industry.

Toyota made 129,070 cars at its plant in Burnaston, England, last year and is currently ramping up production of its new Corolla compact.

PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares was more relaxed about a potential Brexit delay, saying he was in favor if the time was used to find a deal.

Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche, meanwhile, was hopeful a deal could be reached. "It's a game of poker," he said. I am an optimistic person, and I hope that a no-deal Brexit is not realistic."