From Mexico to the World: BMW 2 Series Coupé

This week, the BMW Group unveiled news about the production of its new BMW 2 Series Coupé, a vehicle that will be manufactured exclusively at its San Luis Potosi Plant but sold globally. Production will begin this summer. According to the BMW Group’s press release, this is the second model that the brand will fully produce in San Luis Potosi. 

The brand explains that this will reinforce its commitment to economic growth and the development of talent in San Luis Potosi. “I am certain that the arrival of this model will be a catalyst for the development of the region and will promote our plant as a world-class automotive manufacturing center,” said Harald Gottsche, President and CEO of the BMW Group Plant in San Luis Potosi, on his personal Linkedin. 

San Luis Potosi has become an extremely important state for Mexico’s automotive sector. “San Luis Potosi has become more attractive for employees given the labor market’s conditions. With more competition, salaries have increased, although they still remain competitive for employers. In addition, formal labor has grown considerably in the state. In 2015, we had 16,900 new jobs, then 17,000 in 2016, 29,000 in 2017 and 15,000 in 2018. Our unemployment rate remains at 3.27 percent as of October 2019 while informality has decreased below the national average,” said Gustavo Puente, Minister of Economic Development of San Luis Potosi, in an exclusive interview with MBN.

“As the newest Plant, San Luis Potosi benefits from the experience and the best practices of the BMW Group Global Production Network. It is sustainable, innovative and highly flexible. Our highly motivated and qualified team is integrating this new model seamlessly into its ongoing production,” said Milan Nedeljkovic, Member of the Board of Directors of BMW AG and Head of Production, according to the BMW Group.

BMW Group Plant San Luis Potosi in one of the most sustainable plants in the BMW Group Global Production Network because it uses 100 percent CO2-free electrical energy through a 71,000m2 solar panel system. This makes it the first automotive plant in Mexico to work fully under this type of system. The plant is part of BMW´s commitment to renewable energies, an initiative the company is already implanting in Mexico with the collaborative efforts the OEM has made with Nissan and the CFE through the Charge Now alliance. The alliance currently has over 670 EV charging stations installed across Mexico. The initiative was formed to promote the installation of an increasing number of EV charging stations and generate more EV-demand in the country.