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Thread: Are E46 325's made in Africa?

  1. #1
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    Are E46 325's made in Africa?

    I ran across a statement on another board that said all 325's and below are made in S. Africa. Can anyone confirm this? I'm sure it doesn't take away from it's quality but if this is true than I've learned something new today.
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    BMW does have a plant in SA.. i aint sure about the 325 + below thing tho..

    But its not like it would affect quality considering its still a bmw plant.

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    I m sure BMW has quite a few plants around the world. I just read the other day that the new 5 and another model (X3?) are being manufactured in Austria.

  4. #4
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    huh?

    There arent that many around i thought.. 2 in germany (2nd one opening soon) and SA.. and america?

    There really arent that many plants around to my knowledge..

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    Leipzig will be the latest one.. testing is due right about now and in 2005 they start rolling with 3 series..

  6. #6
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    325 sedans made in SA have been imported here for awhile. The SA factory has been making BMWs since the late 60's, first in kit form. Mercedes also makes C-class cars in SA.

    The X3 will be made in Austria in a non-BMW plant.

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    there are cars made in south africa by BMW and benz. they are usualy for the African and far east market.

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    I think but am not sure, that SA has really high Import tariffs, so it's easier to assemble them down there..

    Interestingly enough, the only 7 series ever produced W/ a motorsprt engine wsa assembled down there. The E-23 745 that was turbo'ed everywhere else, the right hand drive for the S.A. market didn't allow the turbo intake assembly, etc. they would have had to turn the engine around. so they threw an S38 in there to keep performance proper.
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  9. #9
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    Yup, they make them in S. Africa, infact, that's where my 2003 325i was made... It's a little cheaper than the ones made in germany.
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  10. #10
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    Interesting, I thought those produced down there, stayed down there. Cool beans.
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  11. #11
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    Originally posted by dhruvp
    Yup, they make them in S. Africa, infact, that's where my 2003 325i was made... It's a little cheaper than the ones made in germany.
    Thanks for replying :. So was MSRP lower on your vehicle? In your opinion, is there any evidence that quality is lower than the 325's made in Germany that you may have tested?
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    I don't know why but I don't like the idea of buying a german car not made in Germany :


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    wow, price actually differs???

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    Originally posted by Dinan330ic
    wow, price actually differs???
    Yeah, I'm surprised by that too. I wouldn't believe it, but before I read this thread I thought the BMW's built in South Africa stayed in that region. So, I guess I don't know what I'm talking about :

  15. #15
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    Its a bmw.

    Its made by bmw. Just a different location. Its still the same brand and company, measuing itself by the same standards etc.

    Thats like saying by going to a mc donalds in japan, you are in fact not having mc donalds..

  16. #16
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    I wan thinking maybe labor is cheaper down there.

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    Originally posted by dhruvp
    Yup, they make them in S. Africa, infact, that's where my 2003 325i was made... It's a little cheaper than the ones made in germany.
    Are you 100% sure about this? My '02 325CI was made in Germany. And as for it being cheaper just because it was made in another country is absurd. MSRP is MSRP, I have never heard of anything like this taking place.
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  18. #18
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    Yeah in fact that does make sense. You can say a car is worth less coz its made somewhere else.. it would imply that its inferior. They wouldnt price cars produced in a different factory differently! Its the SAME CAR. Just from another factory.

  19. #19
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    Although I do agree with you. I am sure some buyers are dissapointed to find out that their new car will not be German built. It is possible that they take off five hundred dollars to make up for it. It's also probably cheaper to build it in SA as well.

  20. #20
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    But its built to the same specs and standards!~

    You cant go compromising your brand image by saying that one car is inferior to another due to location!

    Maybe labour is cheaper there. Maybe they get tax cuts. Maybe they save money on shipping from there. But its still the same german car. Its still the same design and everything... !

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    Maybe it's the same design. I don't know how much actual HUMAN work goes into manufacturing these vehicles but if there's a lot, there's a HUGE difference in worker intelligence between the two companies. Some workers may have higher standards.

    Unless BMW makes a STRICT effort to only sell BMWs that have all passed a minimum set standard, then I would think BMWs sold outside of Germany are not equal. Thing is, they probably do.

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  22. #22
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    Originally posted by clumpymold
    Maybe it's the same design. I don't know how much actual HUMAN work goes into manufacturing these vehicles but if there's a lot, there's a HUGE difference in worker intelligence between the two companies. Some workers may have higher standards.

    Better put your flame suit on....

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  23. #23
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    Originally posted by Lugosi
    Better put your flame suit on....

    Sieg Heil, redneck.
    Haha, I was thinking the same thing when I typed that.

    I was referring more to those "sweat shops" which probably don't apply to BMW factories but I was hoping the point would get across.

    Oh well.

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    Mass produced cars are not built by Craftsmen!

    The only actual visible "Intelligence" involved is in "Process Engineering"

    The manufacture is broken down into simple bits that an untrained worker can perform without intense supervision.

    The major Quality problem with this system is the failure of the "Process Engineer" to listen to the person actually doing the simple bits when something goes wrong.

    No matter where you go or what specific flavor of people you are talking about the common perception is that Uneducated is the same as Unintelligent!! The person who does a task will always know more about what he is doing than the person who creates or assigns the task. But if you tell them how dumb they are often enough they Will play that Role for you!

    From the confessions of a "Process Engineer"
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  25. #25
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    i know the e36 318is coupe was made in South Africa... i know coz the car magazine i got.. prints a table which includes the country of origin... from memory, i think out of all the e36 the only one was the 318is coupe that was made in s.a

    not sure on the e46's though
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