Construction of a new BMW automotive plant in Tiexi, China has kicked off. The new facility will cover an area of 3.2 square kilometers and will have all the latest technologies found in all BMW plants around the world including autonomous robots and 5G connectivity for a streamlined production process. It will also feature flexible assembly lines which should allow the company to build ICE, PHEV and EV models at the same time, a key advantage BMW in the coming years of EV manufacturing.
The investment made in the new plant will soar up to US $3.2bn over the next years and will be finished by 2040. This expansion will transform the Chinese location into the largest BMW worldwide. At the moment, it is matching the US-based plant in Spartanburg, which has an estimated production capacity of 450,000 units per year, but the Chinese plant is estimated to reach a capacity of 650,000 units per year once construction is complete. The BMW-Brilliance joint partnership already has a plant in Tiexi which has been operational since 2017.
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Features of the new plant
The new location will feature dedicated workshops for stamping, car body building, painting, and assembly, and create thousands of jobs to local residents. Six BMW models are being manufactured here, from the BMW X1 LWB to the 1 Series Sedan, 2 Series Tourer, 3 Series Sedan – in both standard and long wheelbase versions – and the 5 Series long wheelbase model which rolls off the assembly line in Dadong which is basically next door to Tiexi, these two making up the largest BMW facility in the world.
