G30 BMW 5 Series to roll out from Dingolfing and for the first time, Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria

The seventh-generation BMW 5 Series will make its world debut at the Paris Motor Show later this month. Production will ramp up before the end of the year, Munich says, and two plants are involved in the G30 roll out. One is BMW’s factory in Dingolfing, Bavaria; and the other is at Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria. The market launch is in early 2017.

BMW says that in preparation for the new 5er, there has been extensive refurbishment and construction in all technologies at the the Dingolfing plant in recent months. Several hundred million euros have been invested in measures including a new body shop to the west of the plant and the restructuring of drivetrain unit installation at the vehicle assembly facility.

“Dingolfing will remain our competence centre for production of upper-class BMW series,” said Oliver Zipse, member of the board of management of BMW AG, responsible for production. The plant, which also produces the 6 and 7 Series, will roll out all variants of the new 5 Series and serve as the lead plant for the model’s international production network.

For the first time, additional units of the 5 Series sedan will also be built by Austrian contract manufacturer Magna Steyr at their plant in Graz. “The high level of flexibility within our global production network and reliable cooperation with our partner, Magna Steyr, will enable us to respond swiftly to the strong customer demand we anticipate for the world’s most successful business limousine,” added Zipse.

The decision to outsource part of production to Magna Steyr is to ease the load on Dingolfing. Integration of 3 Series and 4 Series models means that production volumes at the Bavarian plant have risen significantly. The site now produces around 350,000 vehicles per year.

“The decision to build 3 Series and 4 Series variants here proves that we are competitive and makes us less dependent on the lifecycle of our large model series,” explains Dingolfing plant manager Josef Kerscher. However, as a consequence of this successful growth, the plant can no longer accommodate the expected volumes alone, although Munich says that the bulk of the new 5 Series models will still be produced there.

“We are delighted to have a highly-professional partner like Magna Steyr produce this successful model for us. They will certainly benefit from our years of experience building the BMW 5 Series: Our staff here in Dingolfing will work very closely with the plant in Graz,” adds Kerscher.

This is not the first time Magna Steyr is contract manufacturing for BMW – the outfit produced the BMW X3 between 2003 and 2010. Current jobs from the BMW Group include the MINI Countryman and MINI Paceman. Production of the G30 will start in Graz in early 2017, after things are kicked off at Dingolfing at the end of 2016.

Check out the teaser video above for glimpses of the new 5 Series, which will go head-to-head with the W213 Mercedes-Benz E-Class that’s still fresh in the market. Here’s what we know of the executive machine so far.

GALLERY: G30 BMW 5 Series Sedan spyshots

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