BMW returns 3 Series production to Dingolfing

BMW will build the combustion-engine versions of its next-generation 3 Series at its Dingolfing plant in Lower Bavaria, returning production of the model to the site after a long break, BR reported. The company announced the move on Tuesday evening.

The electric version will be built at BMW’s main plant in Munich, while production of all combustion-engine versions in the series will move from Munich to Dingolfing. The change is expected to increase output and improve capacity use at the European plant, which has around 18,000 employees.

“We benefit a lot from this,” Dingolfing plant manager Christoph Schröder told BR. BMW has added a production line in the body shop to integrate the new 3 Series models into existing manufacturing.

The new 3 Series will not include a diesel version. BMW said it was focusing on petrol engines in response to market demand, and that the decision was not related to current high fuel prices. The company said it had not ruled out diesel engines across its range; the X5, for example, will continue to offer one.

BMW is investing around two million euros at its Bavarian sites, Schröder said. A significant share is going to a new battery plant in Straßkirchen, Lower Bavaria, which is due to open on Thursday.

The 3 Series has been in production for more than 50 years, with around 18 million vehicles built. Dingolfing’s return to production of the model comes as the automotive industry faces a crisis. The sector has been one of the region’s most important industries since the 1970s.