BMW officially opens new plant in Mexico to build 3 Series sedan…

By: CAR magazine

The BMW Group has officially opened its new plant in San Luis Potosi in Mexico, where the German firm has already started building the G20-generation 3 Series sedan.

The new factory in Mexico expands the BMW Group’s production network to 31 locations, including Plant Rosslyn in South Africa (where the previous-generation 3 Series was built, before the switch to the X3).

The Munich-based firm has invested more than one billion US dollars in the new factory, which already employs 2 500 people. It will have an annual capacity of 175 000 units once the ramp-up phase has been fully completed, says BMW.

Oliver Zipse, member of the board of management responsible for production, said the San Luis Potosi plant was “an important pillar of the BMW Group’s global production strategy”.

“We aim to achieve a balance in our production and sales in the different world regions. We want to strengthen our footprint in important and growing markets. Plant San Luis Potosi will significantly boost our regional production flexibility in the Americas. From here, we are delivering our locally produced BMW 3 Series sedan to customers worldwide,” Zipse said.

The BMW Group has operated its own local purchasing office in Mexico since 2008. In 2017, the office relocated from Mexico City to San Luis Potosi, where it now employs 105 people.

In 2018, the BMW Group sold 25 090 vehicles (some 18 501 BMW units and 6 589 Mini models) in Mexico, an increase of more than 13 percent over 2017.

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