Nedcar to Add BMW X1 Production

In August BMW AG will start building its X1 compact crossover/SUV at VDL Nedcar BV’s plant in Born, Netherlands, to meet growing demand for the model in the U.S. and other markets.

The carmaker’s facility in Regensburg, Germany, will continue to be the primary producer of the X1. That plant builds eight BMW models on a single line.

BMW also uses the Nedcar plant to provide additional contract assembly for several of its Mini brand models. In March, the facility will add output of Mini's first plug-in hybrid, the Cooper S E Countryman ALL4. BMW’s sole Mini plant in Oxford, England, is operating at capacity.

BMW says sales of all its X-badged crossovers jumped 22% last year to nearly 645,000 units. Demand for the entry-level X1 nearly doubled in the U.S. alone to about 28,000 vehicles. The second-generation X1 was launched in mid-2015.

Dutch busmaker VDL Groep acquired the Nedcar facility for €1 from Mitsubishi Motors Corp. in 2012.