You may remember an article posted almost two years ago, which read that BMW was looking to construct a new factory in Mexico where it would ultimately build the 3-Series as well as front-wheel drive models. In North America, the Bavarians currently only operate out of Spartanburg, South Carolina, where they build most of their X- and all of their Z-badged models.
Now, we learn from the Wall Street Journal that the automaker “is in advanced talks with Mexican officials to build an about $1.5 billion factory, highlighting the country’s growing status as a major auto-manufacturing hub.”
The original plan is still in place, and the goal is to produce the 3-Series and the 1-Series (GT, most likely, since front-wheel drive was mentioned before; pictured here as Active Tourer concept), but others may be added too. The move would greatly benefit BMW’s presence in the area, and allow them to better exploit North and Central America.
Despite the fact that a location where it would be built has yet to be chosen, the source suggests that it could be operational by 2016. “We explore different countries as potential locations for future production sites,” said Mathias Schmidt, a BMW spokesman. “However, there has been no decision to set up a production location in Mexico.”
By Andrei Nedelea
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