NEWs
023 sees BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing
facility, located outside Pretoria, celebrate
50 years and as part of that celebration the
company has announced a massive investment
that will ensure the plants longevity.
When it was opened 50 years ago, Plant
Rosslyn outside Pretoria was BMW’s first for-
eign facility and it has since become a mainstay
of the global production network. This plant has
played a critical role for BMW as it was the first
step in transforming BMW into a truly global
brand.
Over the 50 years the plant has proven itself
to be an essential member of the BMW produc-
tion network as it consistently improved quality
and productivity. Five decades later, in addition
to BMW Group Plant Rosslyn, the BMW Group
South Africa business includes a National Sales
Company that sells and distributes BMW, Mini
and BMW Motorrad, a Financial Services com-
pany that was established in 1990 and an IT Hub
that services more than 50 countries.
As part of its 50th celebrations it was an-
nounced that the plant will make the transition to
building electric models with the manufacturing
of the BMW X3 as a plug-in hybrid for global ex-
port from South Africa. An investment of R4.2 bil-
lion rand will ready plant Rosslyn for electromo-
bility, and this investment will be accompanied by
specialist training of more that 300 employees at
the plant.
The announcement of the electrification of
another site in the BMW Group production net-
work marks a further step in advancing the devel-
opment of efficient, digitalised, resource friendly
production.
Plant Rosslyn has produced more than 1.6 mil-
lion vehicles to date and exported them to more
than 40 countries worldwide. Its product portfolio
has included the BMW 1800 SA and BMW 2000SA
as well as the BMW 5 Series and 7 Series. For de-
cades it was the cornerstone of BMW 3 Series
production and it has been manufacturing BMW’s
current best-selling models, the X3 since 2018.
In addition to the investment in Plant Rosslyn,
BMW will be donating more than 1.5 million eu-
ros to support a programme run by UNICEF that
teaches science, technology, engineering, arts
and mathematics to thousands of children and
young South Africans.
In 2023, BMW Group South Africa directly and
indirectly employs close to 23 000 people.
BMW celebrates 50 years in SA
with investment announcement
early 130 years of automotive history is now available to digital read-
ers in Autocar’s new archive, which comprises more than 5900 fully
searchable magazine issues. The archive serves as an important and
ever-evolving historical record of both the automotive trade itself and the
social history that surrounds it.
From the first public demonstration of cars in 1895 to the launch of
the timeless classic Mini in 1959 and the arrival of the Ford Fiesta in 1976,
Autocar has been at the forefront of each and every notable event in the
history of automobiles.
To celebrate the archive’s launch, Autocar has highlighted five of the
most seminal moments in the history of the car, as well as five key mile-
stones in the magazine’s 128-year history, including reviewing the era-defin-
ing Ferrari F40 supercar, Enzo Ferrari’s last, and inventing the now-famous
road test. The influential Austin Seven was the first model to undergo the
most thorough road test in motoring journalism.
Subscriptions are available to both individuals and libraries around the
world, across web and app platforms. The Autocar archive’s advanced
search function enables subscribers to search, share and cite every article
from the publication. The intuitive stacking interface and high-quality im-
ages bring new life to issues published more than a century ago and offer
car enthusiasts and historians alike an opportunity to reflect on how the car
industry has evolved.
The complete Autocar archive is available for individuals and institutions
via the links below:
Q Individuals: https://www.themagazineshop.com/aca23ed/aca/
Q Institutions: https://institutions.exacteditions.com/autocar
Autocar launches digital
archive featuring 130 years
of automotive history
www.automobil.co.za
August 2023