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• State-of-the-art factory has a maximum annual capacity of 76 000 units.
• R6.1bn investment bears fruit as first customer cars start rolling off the line.
• BMW commitment to South Africa continues after 45 years of operation in the country.
Midrand - A new chapter in South Africa's automotive story begins in April 2018 as BMW South Africa started production of its new X3 at its Rosslyn factory.
In 2015, BMW announced a R6-billion investment in South Africa in order to prepare its Rosslyn factory for the X3 production.
A critical time for BMW Group South Africa
BMW South Africa said: "BMW Group's investments in South Africa are made in terms of the Automotive Production and Development Plan (APDP), which expires in 2020. Discussions about a replacement plan have been fruitful and are ongoing, and are crucial for the long term outlook as well as the stability of the automotive sector and BMW Group South Africa's commitment to the country.
"BMW Group South Africa is proud of its progress in terms of localising production of as many components as possible for the BMW X3, which makes this model the most "local" vehicle it has ever built. Equally, BMW Group is a leading participant in a proposed venture fund to develop more black-owned suppliers in the South African automotive supply chain. BMW's contribution to ramping up automotive exports, large-scale employment in dignified and safe jobs as well as other factors make up the content of discussions with the government, labour partners and component suppliers."
Ensuring that production follows demand
BMW SA said: “The BMW Group assigns production to its facilities around the world on the basis of various factors. Demand for BMW's X-derivative models has grown to more than 30% of worldwide sales since the launch of the first BMW X5 in 1999. BMW Group Plant Rosslyn was assigned production of the new BMW X3 on the basis that demand exceeds the capacity of the Group's plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This change has secured the future of Plant Rosslyn as well as the livelihoods of thousands of people at facilities and in the supply chain."
Rosslyn factory
BWM’s Rosslyn factory was the first plant built by the BMW Group outside of Germany. The factory has built the BMW 3 Series for 35 years, manufacturing a total of 1 191 604 units during the period, and increasing production with every model.
BMW said: "With a planned maximum capacity of 71 000 units of the BMW X3, which was later increased (with an additional R160m investment) to 76 000, BMW Group Plant Rosslyn has the opportunity to flexibly match volumes to demand, and to build more cars than ever before."
Tim Abbott, CEO of BMW Group South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, said: "The allocation of production of such a crucial model to our plant is about as big a vote of confidence as it gets. The demand for the BMW X3 globally is powerful, and ramping up on time and to the right standards is vital to the model's success."
"I have full confidence in our associates and plant management at Rosslyn. This is the team that won the coveted JD Power Platinum award in 2015, showing that a South African plant can lead the world in terms of quality."
X3 popularity
The BMW X3 was the car that launched the mid-size SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) segment in 2003. Since then, it has recorded more than 1.5 million new registrations of the X3 across the two model generations so far.