Tag Archives: BMW

News

BMW Dadong Hits 3.5 Million: The Black Warrior Rises

China loves a milestone, and BMW’s Shenyang Dadong plant just clocked a big one: 3.5 million cars built since 2003. That’s two decades of Bavarian metal rolling off Chinese assembly lines, capped by a landmark car that sounds more Marvel than Munich: a BMW 5 Series Shadow Edition, nicknamed the “Black Warrior.”

And fittingly so. If there’s one car that embodies BMW’s Chinese success story, it’s the 5 Series long-wheelbase, a chauffeur special that’s become the go-to ride for executives who prefer to stretch out in the back. More than 2 million 5ers have been built here alone, making it the undisputed heavyweight champ of China’s premium sedan ring.

But Dadong isn’t just about pampering backseat bosses. The factory has morphed into one of BMW’s most advanced facilities worldwide. In 2022 it got a digital makeover worthy of Silicon Valley—AI cameras at 30+ stations keep watch for the tiniest assembly hiccup, while paint quality is checked by 100,000 images per car, hunting down shadow imperfections with almost obsessive precision. If you thought BMW was fussy about panel gaps in Germany, Dadong is on another level.

It’s also the only plant on Earth building the iX3 EV for export markets, and it cranks out the long-wheelbase X3 and X5 for SUV-hungry Chinese buyers. All on flexible lines that can switch between petrol, plug-in, and full electric builds without skipping a beat. That’s iFACTORY strategy in action—lean, green, and digital.

Still, the gloss hides some cracks. BMW’s China sales were down 15 percent in 2024, exports sank by more than a third, and local EV upstarts are circling like sharks. Even the mighty 5 Series is under siege in a market where apps and range anxiety matter more than leather and legroom. Enter Birgit Böhm-Wannenwetsch, BMW Brilliance’s new CEO as of August, tasked with steering the ship through these choppy waters.

For now, though, BMW has every reason to toast Dadong’s achievement. 3.5 million cars is no small feat, and with its sister plant Tiexi, Shenyang is about to chalk up 5 million units combined later this year. Not bad for a hub that started out as BMW’s first China foothold.

And if the last car off the line was a Black Warrior, perhaps that’s exactly what BMW needs in China right now: a fighter.

Source: BMW

News

BMW Heart, Mercedes Soul?

In a move that sounds less like German engineering and more like a soap opera plot twist, we might soon be staring down the barrel of BMW engines inside Mercedes-Benz cars. Yes, you read that correctly: the Bavarian roundel under the bonnet of the three-pointed star. Somewhere in Stuttgart, an engineer just choked on his pretzel.

According to a whisper from Manager Magazin, Mercedes is in talks with BMW to buy its four-cylinder engines from 2027 onward. The candidate? None other than BMW’s workhorse, the B48 — a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot that’s already busy powering half the BMW lineup, from Minis to the X5. Built in Steyr, Austria, the B48 is as versatile as a Swiss army knife: it’ll fit sideways, lengthways, and probably even upside down if you asked nicely. For Mercedes, that flexibility means it can slot the engine into everything from compact runabouts to mid-size plug-in hybrids.

Now, some of you might be wondering: doesn’t Mercedes already have a four-cylinder engine? Indeed, it does. The shiny new M252, currently humming away in the CLA, paired with a mild-hybrid system. But here’s the snag — it’s about as good at playing nice with plug-in hybrid tech as cats are with bath time. Worse still, it’s built in China, which makes it a tariff nightmare for US-bound models. Cue the BMW B48 swooping in like a knight in Bavarian armor, potentially backed by a shared US engine plant to dodge Uncle Sam’s import taxes.

And this is where things get deliciously ironic. Remember when Mercedes promised in 2021 that it would be all electric by 2030? Fast forward a few years, and that dream has gone the way of your old iPod. With EV demand cooling faster than a Weissbier in the Alps, Mercedes has admitted that internal combustion will live “well into the 2030s.” Translation: the petrol engine is going nowhere, and Stuttgart needs a partner to keep the flames alive.

Of course, BMW is no stranger to lending out its engines. Morgan, Ineos, Range Rover — all happily running on Bavarian lungs. Even Toyota’s Supra isn’t shy about admitting it’s basically a Z4 in cosplay. But Mercedes? This would be unprecedented. Two German luxury titans sharing the same beating heart? It’s like discovering that Coke bottles its soda at the Pepsi plant.

If this deal goes through, expect purists on both sides to clutch their AMG and M Division rosaries. Will a BMW-powered Mercedes still feel like a Mercedes? Or will it have just enough Bavarian DNA to develop an annoying habit of tail-happiness on roundabouts?

One thing’s for sure: in 2027, the Autobahn is going to get a lot more complicated.

Source: Manager Magazin via Autocar

NEW CARS

2027 BMW X5 Caught Howling at the Nürburgring

The BMW X5 has always been the sensible SUV that somehow manages to wear its gym shorts under a three-piece suit. But now, the 2027 G65-generation X5 has been caught storming the Nürburgring, and if the spy footage is anything to go by, Munich isn’t planning to slow things down.

Camouflaged like a German trying to sunbathe incognito in Majorca, the test mule doesn’t reveal much in terms of styling—but it’s what’s hiding under the bonnet (and behind those quad tailpipes) that’s got us grinning like a M4 driver who’s just discovered an empty autobahn.

At the 0:39 mark, you hear it. That unmistakable B58 inline-six howl—raspier than a smoker’s cough after Oktoberfest—suggesting this could be a spicier performance trim. BMW’s already rumored to be cooking up multiple fast X5s, so this prototype could be a sneak peek at one of them. Or maybe the engineers simply fitted an exhaust so loud it could rattle the Weißwurst off a Bavarian breakfast table. Either way, it sounds delicious.

Fast forward to 2:33, and things really get interesting. The same prototype family barrels past the lens with quad pipes and a soundtrack that only a twin-turbo V8 can produce. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the mighty V8 lives on. And it sounds angry—like it’s been told the electric iX gets more marketing budget.

Visually, you’ll need to squint hard. The bumper design seems tweaked, the rear spoiler maybe a fraction different—but it could all be camouflage trickery. What we do know is that both these test mules are PHEVs, as proven by the charging flap on the flank. But if this is what hybridisation sounds like, sign us up.

Remember, the X5 isn’t just any BMW—it’s the best-seller, the family golden child. So the G65 has a big job ahead of it: replace the G05 and eventually stand shoulder to shoulder with the all-electric iX. Production kicks off in Q3 2026, which gives BMW just enough time to finish torturing these SUVs around the ’Ring before handing us the keys.

Until then, watch the footage, turn the volume up, and enjoy the sound of Bavaria reminding the world that hybrids don’t have to be boring.

Source: BMW; Photos: CarSpyMedia