Report: The next-gen BMW 3-Series will be “Hecho en Mexico” beginning in 2019
The whole idea of outsourcing labor is not new to the commercial world and it can be both criticized and praised, depending on who you’re talking to. Nonetheless, BMW it seems might begin to outsource their labor for the assembly of the next-generation BMW 3-Series by building the car in Mexico, beginning in 2019. So you can basically say that BMW is pulling a Volkswagen.
A new $1 billion plant is being built in San Luis Potosi and is being designed to offer a full production facility, including a body shop, paint shop, and a complete assembly line.
To keep in line with BMW’s initiative to offer more “green” manufacturing solutions for their own practices, they’re marching to the beat of their own tune by sourcing majority of the plant’s electricity from a nearby solar farm. BMW’s also investing in special paint technology that allows cars to be colored while producing zero processed wastewater.
Total plant capacity is expected to top around 150,000 units annually.
Let’s hope too that quality control isn’t an issue with Mexican made BMW’s, similarly to how Mexican-made Volkswagens got their reputation for reliability and build quality.
– By: Chris Chin
Source: BMW
