New BMW 4 Series Enters Production, Brings XXL Grille To Assembly Line

It’s an important week for BMW’s Dingolfing factory in southern Bavaria as several new and updated models have reached the assembly line. Among the new arrivals is the next-generation 4 Series Coupe with its controversial oversized pair of kidney grilles. It’s being shown here in the hot M440i xDrive specification, serving as a temporary flagship until the M4 Coupe debuts in mid-September.

Even though the revamped 4 Series Coupe has entered series production, the car’s market launch is actually scheduled for early October, with the M4 to arrive at a later date. BMW is also cooking up a new 4 Series Convertible – this time around with a soft top – and that one too will get the full-fat M treatment.

As for the other cars now being put together in Dingolfing, those would have to be the 5 Series Sedan – shown here in 540i flavor – along with the 5 Series Touring, M5, and the unloved 6 Series Gran Turismo. Yes, the 6er GT is still available in some parts of the world, but not in the United States where the large luxury liftback was axed last year.

Yet another model we’re expecting to see come alive at the Dingolfing factory is the M5 CS. Recently spotted, the super sedan with its yet-to-be-confirmed 650 horsepower will likely end up as a limited-run affair to mirror other CS-badged cars.

Operational since 1973, this BMW factory is also responsible for a series of other models, including the 4 Series Gran Coupe as well as the 8 Series Coupe / Convertible together with their M counterparts. The plant also makes a couple of plug-in hybrids, such as the 530e and 745e electrified sedans.

If you’re wondering how many cars are assembled each day, the magic number would have to be 1,500. More than 10 million have been produced since the early 1970s at the factory where about 18,000 workers are employed, along with 800 apprentices.