[Jon Shafer]

Important to note. My X3 order that flipped to 150 yesterday has a completion date of 11/3 (election day). The 540i that flipped to 150 today has a completion date of 11/4. Be glad yours is not going down final assembly lane on election day!

 

[solomonshv]

The 540i that flipped to 150 today has a completion date of 11/4. Be glad yours is not going down final assembly lane on election day!

IIRC, 5s are still made in Europe, so you're safe regardless of when that car starts production. my x6 started production on the 19th, i think i'm in the clear. but if it shows up at the dealership with a hammer planted in the dashboard, i'll know why

 

[Jon Shafer]

IIRC, 5s are still made in Europe, so you're safe regardless of when that car starts production.

PW's (production weeks) still follow the same schedule from allocation ~ regardless of which plant final assembly occurs in, whether a US-build SAV or German-built sedan.

Of course, it is a obvious that dealer delivery will take longer for a European-built BMW (they have to cross the Atlantic).

 

[solomonshv]

PW's still follow the same schedule from allocation to BW ~ regardless of which plant final assembly occurs in. I've been doing this for 33 years.

what i meant was that nobody at the factory in Austria (or wherever 5s are made now) are going to be upset at the election results and mess up the car they are working on. lol.

 

[ctorrey]

My X5 with a week 45 build week flipped today as Jon mentioned/predicted (for week 45 builds). My order went in on the 7th. Hopefully just 3-4 weeks out from delivery.

 

[Judy G]

Mine is taking it's time and has not flipped as of today. Oh well, hopefully early next week.

 

[xkuclone]

For my X5 45e it was ordered 9/26, received build code on 9/28, status changed to production scheduled 9/30, and entered production 10/23.

 

[Judy G]

My car finally flipped today and now is scheduled for production. I was told it would start production in about a week. So it took about a month to go to the next step on this particular car. Once it's completed it's about 2-3 weeks to be transported to the west coast. I'm hoping it will arrive in early December.

 

[jadnashuanh]

The dealer should have been able to tell you the production week after the production number was assigned - usually within a day of placing it except maybe over the weekend. It all depends on which production slot he used for your order (those are assigned way in advance of actually ordering anything based on sales volume, country, and if he can trade with another dealer or not). IOW, once the factory accepted the order and assigned a production number, the dealer should have been able to tell you what week it would be produced. Why BMW doesn't show that on the page the customer can access, I don't know. That page only shows what stage it is in, not any dates, which the factory and the dealer can access. The factory does not make vehicles and just have them sitting, waiting for a dealer to buy it...each and every one BMW makes is specifically ordered, either by the dealer for his stock, or he can assign one of those slots to a particular customer. But, getting one on the fly when the vehicle is selling well (the factory is essentially working at full speed) means, there aren't 'extra' slots to be had unless your dealer can wrangle one from some other dealer. Because of the way slots are assigned, some customers in Europe have been reporting 10-months from order to delivery (maybe a month of that is from shipping across the ocean). Having the factory shut down for awhile because of the virus backed lots of things up, which is likely one reason why getting a build slot is harder than normal. BMW corporate has each market negotiate for slots of production, and only if they are not being used (not happening at this time) can you maybe get an order in on a vacant slot.

 

[solomonshv]

i got the production number the next day. i don't know what happened after that, in any case, i contacted BMW genius today, and here is the updated timeline:
October 8th: Placed order at dealer. picked options, did credit check, blah blah blah
October 13th: made adjustment (red brake calipers instead of blue and added spare tire)
October 14th: "scheduled for production"
October 19th: "production begins". VIN issued
October 30th: scheduled to be completed

 

[hyde]

Ordered Sept 30th, Left SC plant Oct 16th, Arrived at dealer Oct 18th, picked up on Oct 21st.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Ordered Sept 30th, Left SC plant Oct 16th, Arrived at dealer Oct 18th, picked up on Oct 21st.

It's obvious that your dealer had a production slot that was almost ready to start production, and he switched it to your spec. That's an ideal situation for an anxious customer that doesn't happen all that often. NOr would someone from outside of the US be able to get that speed since things go on boats for the most part.

 

[Moewron]

Another factor in this is that I am pretty sure BMW batches production to save a bit on costs... like, for example, they probably group together Phytonic Blue X5s so they can use the same paint setup. Granted I don't know this for sure, but it's my assumption based on the fact that a) it just seems reasonable, and b) sometimes if you go on the build configurator website there will be uncommon "BMW Individual" options (I've seen unique exterior paint, or interior trim).

Anyway, came here to add my timeline to the pile:

10/19 - Ordered
10/20 - Order Received
10/30 - Production Scheduled

My sales guy said build time is usually one week, but "when you add individual colors and leathers like you did it does take longer than a week." I guess he's referring to the Ivory/Blue merino interior, since my exterior and trim are just Carbon Black and Aluminum Tetragon.

 

[jadnashuanh]

I've had the opportunity to visit two BMW factories, one in Munich, and one in Spartansburg...

The robot that paints the vehicles takes about 10-seconds to switch paint heads, so no, they do not batch the same colors and, the computer reads the barcode of the vehicle as it enters the paint booth so that it knows how to paint it and one might be an X3, the next an X5, etc. each in a different color. At least in a BMW factory, long gone are the batching where you'd see a row of nearly identical vehicles coming down the line. The same is true about the installed options. The products come in maybe the day they're needed, and in the order of the vehicle on the production line. When I visited Munich, they said they average about 200 tractor trailer loads a day, spaced about 5-minutes apart. IT would be more, but they shut the factory down for the third shift since the city has grown around what used to be out in the country, to try to keep the noises down for the residents surrounding the factory.

Yes there are people involved, but not really in the paint booth. The only time people get involved with painting is maybe for touch-up, or if it's a custom (individual) color...those are hand painted by real people. Watching one go through the primer is neat, too...the whole vehicle gets submerged in paint while it has an electric charge applied, then, while submerged, it gets turned 360 to make sure paint gets into every nook and cranny. Then it gets lifted out, and the excess paint drains out.

If you get the opportunity to visit a factory (after things open up again for visitors), do it. Lots of robots, some people. Almost no area for storage as things come in as needed to produce the vehicles. There's a fair amount of outdoor space while the vehicles are scheduled for departure that can take a few days to maybe a week depending on the trucks, train, or ship schedules.

 

[Moewron]

Wow thanks for that info- that's really interesting. I live in Charlotte, NC so I'm just down the road from the Spartanburg plant. I'd love to go take a look some day.

 

[SunFun]

Update on my 2021 BMW X5 xDrive 45e order.
First I very sadly canceled the PC Delivery, with Covid-19 surging and being a senior I went with my head not my heart.
Production Update
9/30/20 Production number issued
10/19/20 Entered Production Cue
10/29/20 Body build
10/29/20 Paint Shop
10/29/20 Entering Assembly Line
10/30/20 Quality Check
10/30/20 Final Assembly
10/30/20 Ready for Transport
10/30/20 Awaiting Carrier Assignment
Once in motion the build goes fast. Next notice should be in transit. It’s been a long wait but it’s almost here. 🤗

 

[Moewron]

Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm not going to do the PC delivery, even though it's very close.

I spoke with my rep today and they said that my build week is like 2nd week of December.

btw I'm getting a 45e also! What are your specs?

 

[SunFun]

Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm not going to do the PC delivery, even though it's very close.

I spoke with my rep today and they said that my build week is like 2nd week of December.

btw I'm getting a 45e also! What are your specs?

Fortunately I've done the PCD, so I have experienced it.
Unfortunately I've done the PCD before, so it was a sad decision. The whole experience from arrival at the Greenville/Spartanburg airport until I arrived back home in my new BMW was one of the best of life's many experiences. The trip back home was a big part of it, imagine your first BMW and the drive home takes you through the world famous Tail of the Dragon TN-129, 317 turns, 11 miles Wa Hoo! The long trip home also provides the time to meld with the car.

4 of my last 5 cars have been white, this time I wanted something different.
X5 xDrive45e build list;
C3D Manhattan Green
VATQ Toturfo Marino Lth.,
ZDY Driving Assit. Pro pkg
ZPX Executive pkg
ZLS Seating pkg
4T7 Massage Seats
ZPK Parking Assist
3AC Trailer Hitch
4HB Heated Steering Whl and Armrests

 

[Judy G]

Your car is way ahead of mine. It’s just at the entered production que now and will hopefully start production next week.

 

[SunFun]

Your car is way ahead of mine. It's just at the entered production que now and will hopefully start production next week.

I'm week 44 I believe you are week 45. This next week should be your build, once the production starts it's only a few days to move through the line.