BMW has opened a joint-venture engine plant and light metal foundry in Shenyang, northeast China. BMW will also introduce production of three new models in China, ramping up the number of locally produced models on offer. BMW and its joint-venture partner in China have opened an engine plant and light metal foundry in Shenyang in the northeastern province of Liaoning.

The plant will produce the latest generation of the BMW TwinPower Turbo 3- and 4-cylinder" engines, the automaker says in a statement. Investment finance for the new engine plant and metal foundry has been provided by the BMW Brilliance Automotive Company (BBA), the joint venture between BMW AG and Shenyang Brilliance Automotive Company. The engine plant will also produce batteries for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).

BBA will employ 2,000 staff at the new engine plant. Both the engine plant and the light metal foundry incorporate production standards and will supply BMW Brilliance's Dadong and Tiexi automotive plants in Shenyang. The new engine plant currently has an annual production capacity of 300,000 units per annum (upa), which is linked to the production volumes at the two production plants in the Tiexi and Dadong districts of Shenyang.

In 2015, total volume production at the two plants was 287,000 units. Meanwhile, BMW will ramp up production in China, increasing the models locally produced. In addition to internal combustion engines, the new engine plant will also produce high-voltage batteries for future plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

As with the organisation of engine assembly, this project will entail close co-operation between BBA and the BMW Group to ensure knowledge transfer from high-voltage battery production in Germany.