After the BMW Group invested US$125 million in its San Luis Potosi Plant in Mexico, the production of the new BMW 2 Series Coupé is now underway.
The San Luis Potosi Plant is the newest within the company's global production network. From its design and construction, the factory was designed to produce different models. In just two years since the Plant began production, it has enhanced operations to include the manufacture of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and to expand distribution to cover the globe.
With the addition of the million-dollar investment, the facilities were improved to incorporate the 2 Series Coupé into the production line.
BMW Group San Luis Potosi Plant Harald Gottsche commented: “ We are proud to be able to exclusively assemble this vehicle in Mexico for the worldwide market. With the new 2 Series Coupé we will show the enormous capacity existing in this country. I am convinced that this will be the first of many other successful launches."
The 2 Series Coupé's "athletic and sophisticated lines" were penned by Jose Casas, a Mexican who is today a senior exterior designer for the BMW Group in Munich.
Once the design stage was completed, the BMW Group Development division in Germany jointly collaborated with Production Planning in San Luis Potosi to prepare the new model for the launch in Mexico.
Part of the additional investment included the installation of a total of 82 new robots in the body shop. The existing robots required new programming to be able to handle parts with different geometries, and to weld, rivet, and bolt them together to combine an intelligent mix of steel and aluminum.
The resulting steel, mated to the car's light body, promises to deliver the safety, driving dynamics, and efficiency that the brand's customers expect.
Together with the Materials Analysis team, the Paint Shop was involved in the launch of two new specific colors for the 2 Series Coupé; Brooklyn Gray and Thundernight Metallic. The latter is a new BMW Group color, exclusively for the Plant in San Luis Potosi.
Finally, a part of the investment was used to train personnel of the assembly area to work with a shorter body, with only two doors, which requires another approach to those already existing in the production line.
The company has announced that the commercialization of this model is scheduled for later this year in North America, and early 2022 in Europe.
Photos from BMW
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