50 years! BMW’s iconic 3 Series is celebrating quite the significant anniversary this year.
Produced since 1975, the E21-generation BMW 3 Series replaced the 2 Series, which notably included the famous 2002. And since then, over the past half-century, BMW has assembled no fewer than 18 million units of the 3 Series, representing a significant volume for the manufacturer.
A model of great importance for Munich and its assembly plantThe heart of the BMW 3 Series has been in Munich since its beginnings in 1975, and that remains true today. Certainly, over time, the facilities have modernized. In 1982, BMW innovated by automating the body assembly stage to coincide with the arrival of the second generation of the 3 Series.
As the BMW 3 Series grew in importance, its international role expanded. BMW set up assembly operations in Rosslyn, South Africa, in the mid-1980s and in Spartanburg in the U.S. in the mid-1990s.
Currently, the seventh-generation BMW 3 Series is built simultaneously in the following plants in addition to Munich: Shenyang (China), San Luis Potosí (Mexico), Chennai (India), Rayong (Thailand) and Araquari (Brazil).
The generations of the BMW 3 Series
- - First – 1975-1983 – Sedan
- - Second – 1982-1994 – Sedan, Convertible, Touring, M3 (Coupe and Convertible)
- - Third – 1990-2000 – Sedan, Coupe, Convertible, Touring, Compact, M3 (Sedan, Coupe, Convertible)
- - Fourth – 1997-2006 – Sedan, Coupe, Convertible, Touring, Compact, M3 (Coupe, Convertible)
- - Fifth – 2004-2013 – Sedan, Coupe, Convertible, Touring, M3 (Sedan, Coupe, Convertible)Sixth – 2011-2021 – Sedan, Touring, Gran Turismo, M3 (Sedan)
- - Seventh – since 2018 – Sedan, Touring, M3 (Sedan, Touring), i3 (Electric, China only)
Towards an electric future for the BMW 3 Series
After electrifying a good part of its lineup and having offered plug-in hybrid versions of the 3 Series, BMW intends to launch an all-electric model sometime next year. Unsurprisingly, it will be built in Munich, but also in China and Mexico to satisfy global markets.