+++ New 2 Series Coupé will be produced exclusively in Mexico for the
global market. +++ Additional investment of USD$125 million dollars at
San Luis Potosí Plant. +++
San Luis Potosi, Mexico– The BMW Group Plant in San
Luis Potosi started the production of the new BMW 2 Series Coupé. The
new high-powered sports compact is the brand’s first launch fully
executed and put into operation in Mexico.
The San Luis Potosi Plant is the newest within the company’s global
production network. From its design and construction, the Plant was
designed to easily adapt to produce different models. In just two
years since the Plant began production, it has enhanced operations to
include the manufacture of Plug-In Hybrid Electric vehicle and to
expand distribution to cover the globe. With an additional investment
of $125 million dollars, the facilities were improved to incorporate
this second vehicle into its production line.
Harald Gottsche, President and CEO of BMW Group Plant San Luis Potosi
commented: “Two years after starting operations, our Plant integrates
a new model to its production line. This has been possible thanks to
the great talent of the team in San Luis Potosi. We are proud to be
able to exclusively assemble this vehicle in Mexico for the worldwide
market. With the new 2 Series Coupé we will show the enormous capacity
existing in this country. I am convinced that this will be the first
of many other successful launches”.
Milan Nedeljkovic, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG,
responsible for production, said: “The BMW Group Plant in San Luis
Potosi builds on the experience and best practices of the Global
Production Network. As the latest addition to the network, it benefits
from the latest innovative and highly efficient technologies, which
have also contributed to it becoming one of the company’s most
sustainable production sites. Thanks to its flexible production system
and its highly qualified team, we can take Premium vehicles from
Mexico to the whole world”.
Born in Mexico for the global market
The new BMW 2 Series Coupé is a vehicle focused on dynamic
excellence. Its athletic and sophisticated line was conceived by Jose
Casas, a Mexican who is today a senior exterior designer for the BMW
Group in Munich.
Once the design stage was completed, the BMW Group Development
division in Germany jointly collaborated with Production Planning in
San Luis Potosi to prepare the new model for the launch in Mexico.
The Purchasing division also played a fundamental role from the
beginning of the project in the selection, development and
industrialization of local, regional, and global suppliers.
Direct investment and adaptations to the plant
Part of the additional investment was allocated to the expansion of
the existing facilities and the acquisition of additional equipment
necessary to assemble the new model. This included the installation of
a total of 82 new robots in the Body Shop, while the existing robots
required new programming to be able to handle parts with different
geometries, and to weld, rivet and bolt them together to combine an
intelligent mix of materials (steel, high strength steel and aluminum)
resulting in a light, yet highly rigid body that delivers the safety,
driving dynamics and efficiency that the brand’s customers expect.
Together with the Materials Analysis team, the Paint Shop was
involved in the launch of two new specific colors for the BMW 2 Series
Coupé; Brooklyn Gray and Thundernight Metallic. The latter is a new
BMW Group color, exclusively for the Plant in San Luis Potosi.
Finally, a part of the investment was used to train personnel of the
assembly area to work with a shorter body, with only two doors, which
requires another approach to those already existing in the production line.
The company has announced that the commercialization of this model is
scheduled for later this year in North America and early 2022 in Europe.