The first BMW built in South America is a white 328i ActiveFlex, a model designed specifically for Brazil. It is equipped with a 240-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that can run on either gasoline or ethanol, a fuel that is common across Brazil. The car is signed by the 500 employees currently working at the factory.
Construction work is still on-going and BMW expects the plant will be finished in September of 2015. When it is up and running, the facility will be capable of producing at least 30,000 cars a year including the MINI Countryman, the five-door hatchback version of the 1-Series, the 3-Series sedan, the X1 and the X3. Most BMWs and MINIs built in Brazil will be sold locally but a handful will be exported to neighboring countries such as Argentina.
Board members believe building cars locally will allow BMW to noticeably increase its share of the luxury car market in Latin America.
“Our strategic principle of ‘production follows the market’ has previously proven effective in countries such as the US and China and will also ensure our success in Brazil, an important future market,” explained BMW in a statement.
BMW is not the only German luxury automaker looking to get a slice of the expanding Brazilian market. Rival Mercedes-Benz is currently building a factory in the south of the country, and Audi is scheduled to start assembling the A3 and the Q3 in a factory operated by parent company Volkswagen before the end of the year.
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