50 years of BMW 3 Series production across global plants

BMW Group reports 50 years of BMW 3 Series production, with over 18 million vehicles built worldwide and manufacturing spanning 18 plants in 13 countries.

Over five decades of production, the BMW 3 Series has evolved from a new model into one of the central pillars of BMW Group. Since manufacturing began in 1975, more than 18 million vehicles have been built worldwide, with production spanning 18 plants across 13 countries. For the company, the 3 Series has long been more than a successful sedan – it has become a driver of industrial development and a testing ground for key manufacturing technologies.

The model’s history is closely tied to BMW Group Plant Munich, where production of the first generation began. As early as the late 1970s, BMW introduced flexible manufacturing concepts at the site, followed in 1982 by a fully automated body shop for the second generation of the 3 Series, achieving an automation rate of more than 90 percent. Over time, the 3 Series served as a platform for innovations ranging from advanced paint technologies to computer-controlled engine production and modern digital quality systems that later became standard across the group.

The growing demand for the 3 Series also shaped the expansion of BMW’s production footprint. In 1980, manufacturing was extended to Dingolfing, followed by Regensburg, while the 1980s and 1990s marked a decisive phase of internationalisation. Plants in Rosslyn, South Africa, and Spartanburg, in the United States, enabled local market supply and laid the foundations for today’s global value creation network.

For decades, the BMW 3 Series has also acted as a launch model for new production sites. Facilities in Spartanburg, Leipzig, San Luis Potosí and the BMW Brilliance joint venture in China all ramped up with the 3 Series. Its flexible architecture made it possible to produce multiple body styles and M variants on the same assembly lines, later accommodating different powertrain concepts, including plug-in hybrids and fully electric derivatives for specific markets.

Today, the seventh generation of the BMW 3 Series is built in Munich, Shenyang and San Luis Potosí, as well as at regional plants in India, Thailand and Brazil. At the same time, preparations for the next chapter are well underway. From the second half of 2026, a fully electric BMW 3 Series based on the NEUE KLASSE architecture will ramp up at Plant Munich, followed by production in China and Mexico. This step underlines the model’s continued role not only as a symbol of BMW’s past success, but as a key element of its future strategy.