From the E21 to the G20, all seven generations of the 3 Series have been built at home in Munich. However, that may change with the arrival of the G50 in a few years. A new report from a Bimmer Post forum member claims the eight-gen sports sedan will be assembled at the Dingolfing plant from the second half of 2026. Logic tells us the more practical G51 Touring will be produced in Munich, too. That’s where the bigger 5 Series and 7 Series are also assembled.
That raises some questions about available production capacity given how busy the plant already is. It’s a valid concern when you consider the 4 Series and iX are assembled in Dingolfing as well. However, there are worrying reports the 4er lineup won’t be renewed for the next generation with combustion engines. In addition, the iX is unlikely to stick around after this gen seeing as how BMW is preparing a fully electric iX5. Moreover, EV versions of the next X6 and X7 are also on the agenda. These three large electric SUVs would surely cannibalize sales of the iX.
But why is BMW allegedly taking the 3 Series out of Munich? To facilitate the historic plant’s transition to electric cars. The Neue Klasse-based i3 sedan will hit the assembly line in 2026. By the end of 2027, it’s been officially confirmed the factory will only make EVs. It’ll become the first existing plant in the production network to exclusively build zero-emission models. The first-ever factory to do so will be the upcoming Debrecen plant. The Hungarian site will become operational in the second half of 2025 when production of the Neue Klasse iX3 is scheduled to commence.
Every second car built in Munich already doesn’t have a combustion engine, so the path is clear. In 2023, BMW made 217,480 cars in Munich, up by 8% compared to the year before. Even so, the site was only in sixth place in the global production network based on the volume of cars. Dadong (China) was the most prolific, with 420,586 units, followed by Spartanburg (USA) with 410,793 cars and Tiexi (China) with 307,972 vehicles. Dingolfing was fourth, with 291,907 cars.
To facilitate Munich’s switch to EVs, BMW is spending €650 million at the site where the first gas car, a 501, was made back in 1952.
Source: Bimmer Post
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
Source: BMW BLOG
