BMW Group South Africa has added 16 African countries to its existing portfolio of 30 export countries, including Senegal, Nigeria, Angola, Kenya and Ethiopia.
BMW SA produces the BMW X3 sports activity vehicle (SAV) at the Rosslyn plant, in Tshwane.
The plant has produced vehicles since 1968, and was established as the premium carmaker’s first production facility outside Germany.
The Rosslyn plant started production of the BMW X3 in April 2018, following a R6.2-billion investment and after almost 35 years of BMW 3 Series production.
More than 300 000 BMW X3s have been produced at the plant since 2018. The facility currently produces the third-generation X3, and is able to manufacture up to 75 000 units a year, of which 96% are exported.
The X3s for the newly allocated African markets were previously sourced from the German group’s Spartanburg plant, in the US.
“The BMW X3 remains a crucial vehicle in our global production network and now, with exports to 16 African markets, it is also critical to our success on our continent,” says BMW Group Rosslyn plant director Johan Mouton.
“Ours has been a long-term commitment to the development of this company and the communities it has served for close to 50 years. As such, we are honoured to have the opportunity to build BMW X3s in Africa, for Africa, too.”
“The addition of 16 key export markets is further evidence of the increased trade relations within the Southern African Development Community and the broader African Continental Free Trade Agreement region,” adds BMW SA and sub-Saharan Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen.
“We all have a role to play in encouraging stronger trade relations on the continent, and I am especially proud of the BMW X3’s ambassador role – for both the BMW Group and South Africa.”