BMW to Build Testing Center in Oxnard

City officials joined automotive executives Thursday to break ground for a new testing center that will be BMW’s largest in California and could bring as many as 100 jobs to the area.

As part of a broad consolidation effort, BMW has begun construction of an engineering and emissions-testing facility next to its vehicle preparation center near the Port of Hueneme.

The new facility will house the engineering branch currently located in Marina del Rey.

“The additions here in Oxnard are important for the company as we move into the next century and continue with the success we’ve had over the past several years,” said Victor Doolan, president of BMW’s North America division.

The company will spend $28 million to build the 78,000-square-foot center on an 11-acre parcel off Arcturus Avenue. It is expected to be completed by next spring.

The center will house engineering and research professionals who will test cars and design new emissions-control systems and devices for BMWs and Land Rovers.

It will be the company’s largest engineering hub in the state and one of the biggest in the nation.

For the past decade, BMW has operated a center in Oxnard where 140 employees inspect and prepare recently imported cars for distribution and sale.

The company will also invest an additional $1.2 million into expanding and retooling its existing center to meet increased demand.

Oxnard city officials, many of whom attended the ceremonial groundbreaking, said the company’s decision to increase its local profile is a testament to their efforts to bolster the city’s economic base.

“They’ve seen the willingness of local governments here to work with business enterprise,” said Oxnard Mayor Manuel Lopez. “It was a group effort to get this done. . . . A lot of people played a hand in this, and we’re happy with what’s been accomplished.”

According to Salim Murr, manager of the preparation center, the decision to locate in Oxnard was not a difficult one to reach.

He said the competitive land prices, standard of living, skilled labor pool and proximity to Los Angeles and a deep-water port tipped the scales in the city’s favor.

“This is exactly what businesses look for,” he said. “When you have an area like this and cities that are willing to work with you to get something done, it’s hard to say no.”

During the past several years, Oxnard has earned a reputation among businesses for being an ideal location in which to settle.

The city has lowered fees, assigned representatives to work with businesses and even established guaranteed time frames to issue the necessary permits to begin construction.

Although BMW’s expansion has no direct benefit to the Port of Hueneme, harbor officials said that it could help increase traffic through the port eventually.

“That’s kind of the hope in the long term,” said port marketing director Kam Quarles. “With them doing more business here and having a larger presence, there’s the potential we could see some benefits down the line.”

During the past decade, BMW sales have grown dramatically, up 64% since 1991, when just 53,000 cars were sold, to 131,000 last year.

In the first quarter of 1999, the company sold 35,000 cars, and it expects to sell an additional 15,000 this month.

Much of that growth, company officials said, was due to the California market, which has consistently logged the most consumption of the company’s luxury vehicles.

“Our decision to locate this facility in Oxnard underscores the importance of California to the automotive industry,” Doolan said. “California is the trendsetter for the nation and the world, so we believe it’s important to be in the midst of such progress.”