[E90Fleet]

BMW South Africa has announced it will switch from producing 3 Series ( 70% going to USA) to building the X3 in 2019

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

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


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.



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.

[brissim]

This will be something interesting to watch for us Aussies. I expect it will have no impact on the North American market as they will continue to source their X3s from SC. However for us in Australia we could see the next gen X3 coming from this RSA plant (we currently get the 3 Series from RSA). Should not be an issue as the Rosslyn plant is apparently highly regarded in BMW circles.

Tony

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by brissim

This will be something interesting to watch for us Aussies. I expect it will have no impact on the North American market as they will continue to source their X3s from SC. However for us in Australia we could see the next gen X3 coming from this RSA plant (we currently get the 3 Series from RSA). Should not be an issue as the Rosslyn plant is apparently highly regarded in BMW circles.

Tony

True.

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

[brissim]

News item in an Australian motoring website says that Australia will continue to source its X3s from the US plant.

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...257F060022D4DB

Tony