Munich is no longer the place where BMW builds its most powerful engines as assembly of the V8 has been relocated to Austria. Going forward, the potent powertrain will come from the Steyr plant in Upper Austria after an investment of approximately €21 million. The eight-cylinder mill is going to be built in the existing assembly hall covering 2,250 square meters.
Available with up to 625 horsepower in its highest tune, the V8 has more than 500 individual parts requiring a significant amount of manual labor. It takes approximately eight hours to complete a single engine, with 700 V8s expected to be produced by the end of 2023. Output is set to gradually increase until next spring when as many as 100 employees will put together more than 30 engines daily.
It’s worth noting the V8 is also manufactured in the United Kingdom at the BMW Group Plant Hams Hall. The luxury automaker has previously said production of the V8 (and inline-six) will continue at least until the end of the decade.
In 2023, BMW installs the brawny V8 in an assortment of SUVs: X5 M60i, X5 M Competition, X6 M60i, X6 M Competition, X7 M60i, ALPINA XB7, and the XM where it’s part of a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The 7 Series in the 760i flavor also has eight-cylinder power but it’s not available in Europe unless you get the armored Protection model. The new 5 Series doesn’t have a V8 right now, but the M5 coming next year in sedan and wagon body styles will use a variation of the PHEV setup found in the XM. As for the 8 Series, the M850i and M8 Coupe, Convertible, and Gran Coupe all rock a V8, much like the ALPINA B8.
The V8 is not only installed in BMWs but also in the latest Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. Side note – the smaller inline-sixes in both gasoline and diesel configurations are used by the Ineos Grenadier SUV and pickup truck duo.
Although the M760i is long gone, the BMW Group still makes a V12 exclusively for Rolls-Royce, with plans to discontinue the venerable 6.75-liter engine by 2030 when the ultra-luxury British marque will go purely electric.
Source: BMW
