BMW has made staggering 18,000,000 Series 3 cars over 50 years with no other model coming close

Few cars can claim they built an empire, but the BMW Series 3 may have done just that.

Since its launch in 1975, BMW’s compact sports sedan has grown into the company’s most important model by an enormous margin.

Entire factories, new markets, and even manufacturing philosophies were built around this one model.

The car has quietly become the foundation of BMW’s global manufacturing strategy.

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Every global factory started with the Series 3

Munich was where it all began.

Production of the original E21 started there, and the plant quickly became BMW’s manufacturing blueprint.

Flexible assembly lines and early programmable welding systems allowed multiple variants to be built without stopping production.

This was a forward-thinking approach that paid off as the model evolved.

By the early 1980s, BMW pushed automation even further, introducing a robot-heavy body shop that set new industry standards for precision and scalability.

Demand soon outgrew Munich alone.

BMW expanded 3 Series production to Dingolfing and Regensburg, proving it could build the same car to the same standard in multiple locations.

That strategy went global in 1984 when Rosslyn, South Africa began producing the 3 Series, followed by Spartanburg in the US a decade later.

These plants became the foundation of BMW’s global ambitions.

The upcoming model will feature a fully-electric version

Over time, the 3 Series became BMW’s factory launchpad.

With few exceptions, nearly every new BMW plant over the past several decades started by building a version of the 3 Series.

From Europe to China to Mexico, the model helped BMW scale efficiently while maintaining consistency across continents.

Each generation brought more body styles, more performance variants, and broader reach.

Now, the story is entering a new chapter.

BMW is preparing the eighth-generation 3 Series, including a fully electric version as part of the Neue Klasse lineup.

Production will begin in Munich in 2026, followed by China and Mexico, with Dingolfing rejoining the fold.

After half a century, the BMW Series 3 remains the company’s most reliable constant, even as the brand reinvents itself.

BMW Series 3: Major milestones

1975: E21 3 Series began production in Munich

1982: Advanced automation introduced with the E30

1984: First overseas production started in Rosslyn, South Africa

1994: US production began in Spartanburg, South Carolina

1997 to 2006: The E46 era expanded global production footprint

2011: F30 generation reinforced multi-plant global strategy

2018: The G20 generation added Mexico to the production network

2026: Full electric 3 Series will launch under Neue Klasse

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