[E90Fleet]

BMW South Africa sends 70% of its 70,000 p.a 3 Series production to USA, but that will stop after the F30 LCI runs out.
They will from then produce the X3

Who will get the 3 Series production now ?
Sources suggest Mexico


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...itch-to-new-x3

BMW Invests $417 Million in South Africa With Switch to New X3

November 16, 2015 — 1:00 PM SAST

New model to replace production of 3-Series at Rosslyn plant
X3 to be sold locally and exported to markets including Africa

BMW AG will invest more than 6 billion rand ($417 million) in the carmaker’s South African operations to start production of the newest model of its X3 sport-utility vehicle.

The X3 will replace the assembly of the German company’s 3-Series sedan at the Rosslyn plant north of Pretoria, the automaker said in a statement on Monday. It will be the first time the SUV has been produced outside the U.S., and the model will be sold locally and exported, including to other African countries, according to BMW South Africa Managing Director Tim Abbott.
Inside the BMW AG plant in Rosslyn
Inside the BMW AG plant in Rosslyn Photographer: Kevin Sutherland/Bloomberg

BMW’s South Carolina plant, which produces all X models, will be at full capacity in 2016, Abbott said. The company wants to make sure production meets demand, which it expects to grow to be “substantial” in Africa, he said. Carmakers are expanding in South Africa even as economic growth slows and after strikes forced production halts in the last two years.
“28 percent of all the cars we sell around the world are X models, virtually one in three,” Abbott said in a phone interview on Monday. “We see the X3 as being, long-term, a high-demand vehicle in countries like Nigeria or Kenya or Tanzania.”
South Africa’s automotive-incentive program has attracted companies such as BMW, Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG to set up and invest in factories in the country. The government’s statement this month that the system will be extended beyond 2020 “was very important to us,” Abbott said.
Production Rising

The number of vehicles produced in Africa’s most industrialized economy is projected to rise to 622,000 this year, according to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa.
BMW will spend more than 3 billion rand on the Rosslyn factory, plus an additional 3 billion rand on suppliers, startup costs and training. Production of the 3-Series will continue at Rosslyn until the end of the current model’s lifecycle, after which the switch will be made to building the X3, Abbott said, without providing a timeline.

The automaker will continue to produce X3s at its South Carolina plant, which is also earmarked to build the planned X7 model. While the company hasn’t announced projected production volumes for the X3 from Rosslyn, the additional potential markets in Africa will help prospects, Abbott said.
“A lot depends really on the success of X3 worldwide,” Abbott said. “Obviously it’s not our intention to go backward here, we want to be a more successful plant in terms of volume.”

BMW’s Rosslyn facility was the company’s first foreign plant when it was established in 1973. The factory is expected to produce about 70,000 3-Series vehicles this year and produced its one-millionth vehicle in February.

[E90Fleet]

Current F30 production at Rosslyn South Africa

[ft1330]

Is Munich going to continue producing US spec 3 series for ED?

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

BMW South Africa sends 70% of its 70,000 p.a 3 Series production to USA, but that will stop after the F30 LCI runs out.
They will from then produce the X3

Who will get the 3 Series production now ?
Sources suggest Mexico


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...itch-to-new-x3

If 70% of SA production comes to the US, would they move that production to the US?

[dalto]

Originally Posted by tex2670

If 70% of SA production comes to the US, would they move that production to the US?

Sounds like Mexico if the above is to be believed.

[Blubaron79]

My SA build BMW is my 3rd and best quality BMW.

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by tex2670

If 70% of SA production comes to the US, would they move that production to the US?

USA will only build X3,X4,X5,X6 and X7

Current indications is Mexico will get the new 3 Series factory to supply North America.

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by Blubaron79

My SA build BMW is my 3rd and best quality BMW.

Yes, Rosslyn has consistently beaten the German factories for quality.

They got the best factory award this June from JD Power

BMW Plant Rosslyn awarded Platinum Plant Quality Award in J.D. Power 2015 Initial Quality Study

Plant Rosslyn recipient of the 2015 Plant Assembly Line Quality Award (based on models produced for U.S. market) and Platinum Plant Quality Award, which represents the highest performing assembly plant in the world for initial quality.
BMW 2 Series, BMW 4 Series and BMW 5 Series top ranked vehicles in their categories.

Midrand – The BMW Group’s Rosslyn Plant was yesterday awarded the Platinum Plant Quality Award in the J.D. Power 2015 Initial Quality Study (IQS) for producing BMW 3 Series models with the fewest defects or malfunctions. Plant Rosslyn last received this award in 2002 with an IQS score of 85 pp100 (problems per 100 vehicles surveyed).

The BMW brand also ranked 6th overall among the nameplates with 99 PP100, a 9 point improvement from 2014. PP100 is the J.D. Power standard measurement of problems per 100 vehicles. The 2015 industry average is 112 PP100.

In addition to Plant Rosslyn’s award, three BMW models – the BMW 2 Series, BMW 4 Series and BMW 5 Series – were also the top ranked vehicles in their categories in the J.D. Power 2015 IQS. The BMW 2 Series was the Highest Ranked Small Premium Car; the BMW 4 Series was the Highest Ranked Compact Premium Car; and the BMW 5 Series was the Highest Ranked Midsize Premium Car. Additionally, the BMW 7 Series was ranked 2nd in the Large Premium Car segment.

The 2015 J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study is based on responses from more than 84,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2015 model-year vehicles surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The study was fielded between February and May 2015.

“We are delighted about Plant Rosslyn being awarded this prestigious international award. It is a true testament to the quality, craftsmanship and excellence we strive for in the production of each of our BMW 3 Series Sedan vehicles,” says Tim Abbott, Managing Director of BMW Group South Africa.

Plant Rosslyn, situated north of Pretoria, was the BMW Group’s first foreign plant in 1973 and represents a cornerstone of the BMW Group’s global production network with presently 30 sites in 14 countries. The plant currently produces the BMW 3 Series Sedan for local and export markets around the world. In 2014, BMW 3 Series Sedan exports from Plant Rosslyn increased by over 17% to 68,771 – which clearly solidified BMW South Africa’s position as the country’s leading exporter of premium vehicles. Furthermore, in February this year, Plant Rosslyn reached a remarkable milestone when the one-millionth vehicle rolled off the assembly line.

More information about the J.D. Power 2015 Initial Quality Study (IQS) can be found at www.jdpower.com/quality

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by ft1330

Is Munich going to continue producing US spec 3 series for ED?

They have not yet announced which factories in Germany or anywhere else will build the next 3 Series

[Bob in IL]

Originally Posted by Blubaron79

My SA build BMW is my 3rd and best quality BMW.

My car was built is SA too and after one year zero issues - One service visit and that's it. I am satisfied. If they start building the 3 Series in Mexico, I'd wait a year or two before buying, to see how things shake out.

[cptcrunch]

This could be interesting. Purchase a 3 series, pick up in Mexico and drive home from the factory. Do we know where in Mexico the new factory is built?

[MickAv8r]

There is also a plant being built in Brazil but Mexico is the likely new home of the 3er. BMW can't afford to have quality issues with the Mexican plant. Just like the SA plant, they will QA/QC the living fuck out of those cars from the very beginning. I'm betting you'll be able to trust those cars from day one.

[MickAv8r]

Originally Posted by cptcrunch

This could be interesting. Purchase a 3 series, pick up in Mexico and drive home from the factory. Do we know where in Mexico the new factory is built?

San Luis Potosi and you will NOT want to do that. You'd be lucky to get to the border alive.

[cptcrunch]

Originally Posted by MickAv8r

San Luis Potosi and you will NOT want to do that. You'd be lucky to get to the border alive.

lol, thats exactly what I was thinking. You COULD do that, but it IS MEXICO.

[ft1330]

Originally Posted by Blubaron79

My SA build BMW is my 3rd and best quality BMW.

Not doubting you but just wondering how you measure that

[chums]

I took a flight from Los Angeles to Leon Guanajuato Mexico and my flight was full of Japanese auto plant employees from Mazda and Honda.

[QuikSilver_]

Originally Posted by Bob in IL

If they start building the 3 Series in Mexico, I'd wait a year or two before buying, to see how things shake out.

Great, my lease is up around the time the G20 is expected to arrive. Guess I'll be a guinea pig!

[Blubaron79]

Originally Posted by ft1330

Not doubting you but just wondering how you measure that

Times to the dealer