It was a known fact that the BMW 8 Series will enter production next year as a variety of sources have been saying the same thing over and over again. Our own sources confirmed 2018 will be the year the 8 Series makes a comeback, but now we apparently also have a clue as to where it will be built. According to a new report from Automotive News Europe, the new Coupe will be built in Dingolfing alongside other cars using the CLAR architecture.
CLAR stands for Cluster Architecture and it has been the platform used for every new model launched after the G11/G12 7 Series. It is a modular platform that allows cars from the size of the 3 Series all the way up to the upcoming X7 to be built upon it, with all models using a RWD layout in the first place. For all other cars, the UKL platform is being used, shared between the BMW and MINI brands, like the X1 and Countryman models for example.
BMW Group Plant Dingolfing is the BMW Group’s largest vehicle production site in Europe: every year, over 340,000 BMW vehicles roll off the assembly lines. The site manufactures a wide range of cars – currently models of the 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 Series, as well as components for BMW’s electric vehicles and car bodies for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. On top of that, Dingolfing is at the center of the BMW Group’s global spare parts logistics network. In total, the location has a workforce of over 17,500 people, plus 800 apprentices.
Up until the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina received a massive investment in expanding its production capabilities, this used to be the largest BMW plant in the world. This is also the most advanced facility the Bavarians have, Dingolfing being the plant where a number of Industry 4.0 technologies have begun testing, from 3D scanners looking the smallest imperfections, to automated robots carrying parts around the compound.
