BMW pledges Brilliance investment

German car maker BMW said it would invest US$481m in its 50-50 joint venture with Brilliance China Automotive Holdings to produce luxury cars for the Chinese market. The money will be used to upgrade and expand Brilliance's production facility in Shenyang, Liaoning province. The firm hopes that BMW 3-Series models will start to roll off the assembly lines later this year and that annual production will eventually reach about 30,000 vehicles.