BMW is one of seven legacy carmakers that has a factory on South African soil, and it is working around the clock to produce the luxury cars we all know and love.
The German manufacturer recently published its annual Group Report for 2024, revealing that BMW Group South Africa built a grand total of 55,516 X3 SUVs that year.
That works out to an average of 152 cars per day – a stat that is made even more impressive by the fact that the company made significant changes to its assembly lines throughout the year.
BMW’s crown jewel in South Africa
BMW has a factory located in Rosslyn on the outskirts of Pretoria, Gauteng, which has been making cars since 1973.
It’s a relatively small facility, at least when compared to the company’s massive holdings overseas, but that hasn’t stopped BMW South Africa from playing a crucial role in the automaker’s operations.
During the 2000s and early 2010s, the site was the home of the iconic 3 Series sedan, but BMW switched production over to the third-generation X3 in 2018 owing to the growing global demand for SUVs.
The third-gen X3 was still in production for most of 2024, adding to the total for that year, but the vehicle’s assembly line was officially shut down in late August in anticipation of the next-gen models.
Shortly thereafter, BMW began an exciting new chapter in South Africa with the production launch of the fourth-gen X3 in October.
The 55,516 cars produced at the site are, therefore, a combination of both the old and the new SUV, though the company unfortunately does not have separate figures for these models.
One thing to note is that Rosslyn’s production capacity actually dropped by 18.6% in 2024, as it assembled 68,238 units the year prior, though this is understandable given the carmaker needed to upgrade its facilities to accommodate the next-gen X3.
This included a R4.2-billion investment for the equipment needed to make the X3’s brand-new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain.
BMW has a total of three X3 factories globally, but Rosslyn is the only one with the facilities required to make the PHEV, securing its place as an invaluable resource for the automaker’s new-energy goals.
The PHEV, which goes by the designation “30e” is one of three drivetrains available on the SUV alongside the 20d (a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel) and the M50 (a 3.0-litre turbo-petrol).
This varied engine selection is no doubt part of the X3’s appeal, as the car is so popular that Rosslyn currently operates on a three-shift cycle with employees working for eights hour at a time over a 24-hour period.
As a result, the factory is responsible for creating roughly 20,000 jobs in South Africa, including those working at the site itself and others employed at various points in the local supply chain that provide the materials needed for 152 luxury SUVs to roll off the factory floor every day.
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