China Plant Gearing Up to Produce BMW's New-Generation 3 Series

RedStripe · 07-08-2005, 01:36 PM

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...cleId=106309#1

BMW 3 series for the Chinese market to be produced in China.

siriusinvestor · 07-08-2005, 02:34 PM

Thank god I bought mine now and it was produced in Germany!

Mark · 07-08-2005, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by siriusinvestor

Thank god I bought mine now and it was produced in Germany!

yea but I think the ones made in china will only be for the asian market... while we here in the US will be getting them from south africa

SCA · 07-08-2005, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by siriusinvestor

Thank god I bought mine now and it was produced in Germany!

Not intended to be imported to the US.

paullo · 07-08-2005, 03:03 PM

Quote:

yea but I think the ones made in china will only be for the asian market... while we here in the US will be getting them from south africa

Current e90's are being built in SA for North American delivery? Or, am I understanding that subsequent/eventual deliveries will be from SA?... I thought my 330 was built in Germany...

SCA · 07-08-2005, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paullo

Current e90's are being built in SA for North American delivery? Or, am I understanding that subsequent/eventual deliveries will be from SA?... I thought my 330 was built in Germany...

Some US bound E90 325s will be produced in SA just like E46 325s were. All US bound 330s are produced in Germany.

Slappy · 07-08-2005, 04:33 PM

I saw a Frontline special about the Chinese market, and pretty much all auto manufacturers have plants in China for the Chinese market. The Chinese cars may look the same but are vastly different under the hood. Their emissions requirements are much less stringent so the engines are much cheaper to produce for that market. China is cruising for trouble though, their air quality is becoming a big problem for them.

06' 325i JB, Terra, Al. SP, PP, CWP, Step, Sirius, Xenon
(Currently scheduled for prodution)
Ordered 7/6/05

LEDZEP · 07-08-2005, 07:33 PM

My E90 was born in Munich, Germany - and probably most of the ones in the US were also. I think the SA plant is just getting up to speed. I too am glad my car was built in the Fatherland (pronouced "zee fahza land").

romeo26 · 07-09-2005, 01:26 AM

i hope they stay in china, this just proves "Made In China" signs are every where now!!! i want an sa car or a german made car. i might have to ask where is the car made to make sure its not chinese

fredtoo · 07-09-2005, 07:58 AM

China, like SA, is a source for cheap labor. Expect to be seeing more of it in the future, first with components, then finished goods.

Right now,China's QC is sub par (look at all the crap Walmart sells).
Once they get their act together, (10 years?) there will be even more "Made In China" stickers on everything.

E90Fleet · 07-09-2005, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredtoo

China, like SA, is a source for cheap labor. Expect to be seeing more of it in the future, first with components, then finished goods.

Right now,China's QC is sub par (look at all the crap Walmart sells).
Once they get their act together, (10 years?) there will be even more "Made In China" stickers on everything.

No cheap labour here is SA

Thats one of BMW's biggest problems here, the overly strong labour laws

China doesnt build much, they just basically assemble the cars ( been doing it with the 5 Series for quite a while) and mostly for the chinese market

We manufacture 70% of the parts for 3 Series we build here in SA

fredtoo · 07-09-2005, 10:07 AM

A quick search on SA labour has found this excerpt:

An array of manufacturing engineering complexes also developed, producing domestic hardware, rolling railway stocks, motor vehicle components, and to some extent aircraft and ships. In 1992, the transport equipment industry produced 93,600 commercial vehicles and 206,600 passenger cars, with the majority of the cars containing at least 66 percent local content. Servicing all these is a well-developed industrial and financial infrastructure made up of an efficient transportation system, a well-developed and secure power supply, a functioning and efficient telephone system, a program of water resource conservation and development, and a sophisticated, stable, well-regulated financial and monetary structure. Equally important to the development of these industries has been the availability of a cheap labour supply. A major impact of industrialisation has been the drawing away of large numbers of Africans from traditional rural subsistence economy and from all the countries of southern Africa to the ever-expanding urban and market oriented industrial economy dominated by white capital and white managerial skills. Though the acute shortage of skilled manpower has opened new opportunities for qualified coloureds, Asians and blacks, the entrenched decades-old inequities in job positions and gross income disparities between whites, who had priority in pay and skilled jobs, and blacks, who held the lowest jobs and received the poorest pay, remain with coloureds and Asians hanging precariously somewhere in between.

For the rest of the article, look here: http://about-south-africa.com/html/s...acturing_.html

E90Fleet · 07-09-2005, 10:23 AM

Cheaper than some European countries
But you cannot compare it to the cheap labour in China

I personally know of 5 factories that closed and moved their manufacturing to china, because of their cheap labour. They now make the same product there and ship it back here to SA for cheaper than they could make it in SA

fredtoo · 07-09-2005, 06:25 PM

Any idea of what the average BMW factory worker makes in SA?
How does this compare to other industries in SA?

E90Fleet · 07-09-2005, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredtoo

Any idea of what the average BMW factory worker makes in SA?
How does this compare to other industries in SA?

Wouldnt have those figures, but the trade unions make shure they get a internationally competative salary for their industry

One also has to look at what can be bought with the salary in each respective country. I can buy a lot more here with the equivalent of $10 than you could in New York ( cars excluded )

I can tell you our textile industry is calling for trade restrictions with china, because our labour costs are many times higher than those in china and they are flooding us with cheap goods, but our trading of textile with the USA is no problem because the costs are more equal

07-08-2005, 01:36 PM	#1
RedStripe Captain 96 Rep 649 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 325i Join Date: May 2005 Location: Texas iTrader: (1) Garage List 2006 BMW 325i [0.00]	China Plant Gearing Up to Produce BMW's New-Generation 3 Series http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...cleId=106309#1 BMW 3 series for the Chinese market to be produced in China.
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07-08-2005, 02:34 PM	#2
siriusinvestor Captain 67 Rep 873 Posts Drives: 1989 Ugo Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: US iTrader: (2)	Thank god I bought mine now and it was produced in Germany!
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07-08-2005, 04:33 PM	#7
Slappy Enlisted Member 3 Rep 47 Posts Drives: Jet Black 325i Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Memphis iTrader: (0)	I saw a Frontline special about the Chinese market, and pretty much all auto manufacturers have plants in China for the Chinese market. The Chinese cars may look the same but are vastly different under the hood. Their emissions requirements are much less stringent so the engines are much cheaper to produce for that market. China is cruising for trouble though, their air quality is becoming a big problem for them. 06' 325i JB, Terra, Al. SP, PP, CWP, Step, Sirius, Xenon (Currently scheduled for prodution) Ordered 7/6/05
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07-08-2005, 07:33 PM	#8
LEDZEP Lieutenant General 418 Rep 12,276 Posts Drives: 2009 E70 & 2011 F25 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Area 51 iTrader: (0) Garage List 2011 X3 35i M Sport [7.62] 2009 X5 M Sport [0.00] 2007 328xi E90 [0.00] 2006 325xiT E91 [0.00]	My E90 was born in Munich, Germany - and probably most of the ones in the US were also. I think the SA plant is just getting up to speed. I too am glad my car was built in the Fatherland (pronouced "zee fahza land").
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07-09-2005, 01:26 AM	#9
romeo26 First Lieutenant 44 Rep 354 Posts Drives: e30 325 (no lette) Join Date: May 2005 Location: anaheim, cali iTrader: (0)	i hope they stay in china, this just proves "Made In China" signs are every where now!!! i want an sa car or a german made car. i might have to ask where is the car made to make sure its not chinese
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07-09-2005, 07:58 AM	#10
fredtoo First Lieutenant 15 Rep 340 Posts Drives: 325 328 350 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: nj iTrader: (0) Garage List 1986 328 [0.00] 2006 325 [0.00]	China, like SA, is a source for cheap labor. Expect to be seeing more of it in the future, first with components, then finished goods. Right now,China's QC is sub par (look at all the crap Walmart sells). Once they get their act together, (10 years?) there will be even more "Made In China" stickers on everything.
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07-09-2005, 10:07 AM	#12
fredtoo First Lieutenant 15 Rep 340 Posts Drives: 325 328 350 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: nj iTrader: (0) Garage List 1986 328 [0.00] 2006 325 [0.00]	A quick search on SA labour has found this excerpt: An array of manufacturing engineering complexes also developed, producing domestic hardware, rolling railway stocks, motor vehicle components, and to some extent aircraft and ships. In 1992, the transport equipment industry produced 93,600 commercial vehicles and 206,600 passenger cars, with the majority of the cars containing at least 66 percent local content. Servicing all these is a well-developed industrial and financial infrastructure made up of an efficient transportation system, a well-developed and secure power supply, a functioning and efficient telephone system, a program of water resource conservation and development, and a sophisticated, stable, well-regulated financial and monetary structure. Equally important to the development of these industries has been the availability of a cheap labour supply. A major impact of industrialisation has been the drawing away of large numbers of Africans from traditional rural subsistence economy and from all the countries of southern Africa to the ever-expanding urban and market oriented industrial economy dominated by white capital and white managerial skills. Though the acute shortage of skilled manpower has opened new opportunities for qualified coloureds, Asians and blacks, the entrenched decades-old inequities in job positions and gross income disparities between whites, who had priority in pay and skilled jobs, and blacks, who held the lowest jobs and received the poorest pay, remain with coloureds and Asians hanging precariously somewhere in between. For the rest of the article, look here: http://about-south-africa.com/html/s...acturing_.html
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07-09-2005, 10:23 AM	#13
E90Fleet Lieutenant General 1312 Rep 10,185 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: South Africa iTrader: (0)	Cheaper than some European countries But you cannot compare it to the cheap labour in China I personally know of 5 factories that closed and moved their manufacturing to china, because of their cheap labour. They now make the same product there and ship it back here to SA for cheaper than they could make it in SA
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07-09-2005, 06:25 PM	#14
fredtoo First Lieutenant 15 Rep 340 Posts Drives: 325 328 350 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: nj iTrader: (0) Garage List 1986 328 [0.00] 2006 325 [0.00]	Any idea of what the average BMW factory worker makes in SA? How does this compare to other industries in SA?
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