Constructing a car body involves joining several hundred steel and aluminium components of different sizes and thicknesses to produce a high-precision result. The job is done by a team of absolute experts in their field who employ welding and joining technologies – such as spot welding, soldering, bolting, bonding and the latest laser welding techniques – to create bodies that are precise to the millimetre. The physically strenuous and complex work is carried out by robots that work with maximum accuracy and are controlled and maintained by our highly qualified team.

Spot welding is up to 95 percent automated, with robots working on precisely predetermined points of the body. So, the body shop is the most highly automated area of BMW Group production.

The colour of a car’s paintwork is probably its single most powerful visual element. But it also protects the vehicle and helps retain its value.  

The application process starts by dipping the body in a cleansing and de-greasing solution before coating it in a layer of zinc phosphate, which offers lasting corrosion protection. Then, up to four more coats of paint are applied to protect the body from environmental stressors and give it a rich, lasting colour and radiant finish. Between each coat, rigorous quality inspections are carried out in the paintshop, with lab specialists using environmental simulations to verify the colourfastness and their resilience to environmental influences of the various paints.

The finishing touches are added to the painted bodies by our team of highly trained and experienced specialists. Thanks to our Individual programme, we can realise even the most unconventional of customers’ wishes, with different equipment packages, add-ons, country-specific packages and much more besides making for an unmistakable, customised product. The almost unlimited equipment options mean it’s highly unlikely that two identical vehicles in a row will ever leave the assembly line.

In final assembly, the car production process reaches its high-point with what’s known as the “marriage”. This is when the drive – comprising the engine, transmission, axles and exhaust system – is “married” with the corresponding body and bolted into place. By this point the team have carried out thousands of operations, and the vehicle can now stand on its own four wheels. They then fit the final parts and start the engine. After a plethora of tests have been successfully completed, the brand-new vehicle can finally roll off the production line.