After our tour of France, Italy and Spain https://zroadster.org/threads/the-italian-job.79909/ we asked chatgtp to give us a list of European manufacturing plants we could make a roadtrip out of. This was the outcome.
MADE IN EUROPE โ CARS, ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING
Germany
- BMW Munich โ โ โ โ โ โ
Live BMW vehicle production at the historic home plant, now especially interesting because of the Neue Klasse transition. BMW Welt and the BMW Museum make this a superb full-day engineering stop.
- BMW Leipzig โ โ โ โ โ โ
Live body shop and assembly with extensive robotics, mixed-model production and several propulsion systems moving through the same highly flexible factory.
- BMW Motorrad Berlin โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Engine production and motorcycle assembly rather than another car line. A useful change of scale and manufacturing process.
- Audi Ingolstadt โ โ โ โ โ โ
Proper live production and body-shop tours. A genuine working-factory experience rather than simply a brand visitor centre.
- Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen / Factory 56 โ โ โ โ โ โ
S-Class, Maybach and EQS production in one of Mercedes-Benz's most technologically advanced manufacturing environments.
- Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart โ โ โ โ โ โ
Not production, but an excellent companion to Sindelfingen: cars, engineering, technology and motorsport through the history of Mercedes-Benz.
- Porsche Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart โ โ โ โ โ โ
Live production at Porsche's historic home factory, including 911/Taycan manufacturing. Very strong combination with the Porsche Museum.
- Porsche Museum, Stuttgart โ โ โ โ โ โ
Automotive engineering, design and motorsport history. Makes the Zuffenhausen visit into a proper Porsche day.
- Porsche Leipzig โ โ โ โ โ โ
One of the stronger factory experiences: opportunities to follow production through body construction, paint and assembly. Particularly interesting as a contrast to BMW Leipzig.
- Volkswagen Wolfsburg โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Working VW factory tour combined with Autostadt. Excellent scale, although eventually it may have to compete with Germany's many other car factories for itinerary space.
- Meyer Werft, Papenburg โ โ โ โ โ โ
One of the stars of the entire project. Huge cruise ships constructed inside enormous halls, with premium visits taking you into the working shipyard environment.
- Airbus Hamburg-Finkenwerder โ โ โ โ โ โ
Major A320-family aircraft-production site. Complements Toulouse because you're seeing a different part of Airbus's European manufacturing network.
- MEISSEN Porcelain, Meissen โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Genuine skilled manufacturing: porcelain forming, decorating and artisan production rather than another automotive factory. Excellent variety.
German watchlist
- BMW Regensburg โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Particularly interesting to us because this is the home of X2/iX2 production. No ordinary public factory-tour programme at present, so we keep watching.
- BMW Dingolfing โ โ โ โ โ โ
One of BMW's major production centres and a potentially superb factory visit, but currently not straightforward for individual public visitors.
- BMW Landshut โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Advanced components and materials rather than normal final car assembly. Very interesting technically if public access improves.
Italy
- Lamborghini, Sant'Agata Bolognese โ โ โ โ โ โ
Guided access to actual supercar production, combining advanced manufacturing with substantial hand craftsmanship.
- Ducati, Bologna โ โ โ โ โ โ
Motorcycle and engine manufacturing, assembly and inspection. Different enough from the car plants to be an essential part of the Italian cluster.
- Pagani, San Cesario sul Panaro / Modena โ โ โ โ โ โ
Museum plus Atelier. Tiny-scale production, composites and obsessive hand-built craftsmanship โ the exact opposite of a vast robotic car factory.
France
- Airbus Toulouse-Blagnac โ โ โ โ โ โ
A350 and A321 final assembly at one of Europe's great industrial sites. An obvious flagship experience for Made in Europe.
- Airbus Atlantic Saint-Nazaire โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Particularly interesting because this isn't final assembly: aircraft structures and components are being manufactured. Shows us how the bits reach Toulouse and Hamburg in the first place.
- Renault Manufacture Louis Schweitzer, Le Mans โ โ โ โ โ โ
Working chassis/component production with automation and modern manufacturing systems for Renault Group brands. Much more interesting for this project than simply another car museum.
United Kingdom
- MINI Oxford โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Modern body-in-white and final assembly with extensive robotics. A useful mass-production contrast with Morgan, Lotus and Vintage Bentley.
- Morgan, Malvern โ โ โ โ โ โ
Cars being constructed almost within touching distance using ash, aluminium, leather and skilled hand finishing. One of the most distinctive visits on the list.
- Lotus Hethel โ โ โ โ โ โ
Working sports-car production, including the progress from chassis through to finished car. Strong addition to the UK section.
- Triumph, Hinckley โ โ โ โ โ โ
Much more than motorcycle final assembly: machining, paint, engines, development and testing make this a particularly rounded production visit.
- Vintage Bentley Works, Hill Brow, West Sussex โ โ โ โ โ โ
Working engineering and restoration workshops devoted to W.O. Bentleys. Pre-war engineering, machining and specialist restoration rather than modern mass production.
- JCB, Rocester โ โ โ โ โ โ
A brilliant Made in Europe visit: sheet steel becomes a finished machine through cutting, welding, painting and assembly. Exactly the variety the project needs.
- Royal Mint, Llantrisant โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Genuine coin manufacture inside a major working industrial operation. Completely different from vehicles and consequently very useful.
- Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford โ โ โ โ โ โ
Primarily a museum, but a major motoring collection with restoration/workshop elements. Worth keeping as a broader automotive-history stop.
UK watchlist
- Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Goodwood โ โ โ โ โ โ
Another potentially exceptional manufacturing visit โ hand-built luxury-car production at enormous standards of finish โ but no normal public factory-tour programme at present.
Austria
- voestalpine Steel World / Steelworks, Linz โ โ โ โ โ โ
One of the best non-car discoveries: steel production on a huge industrial scale, from raw material and blast furnace through to products used by automotive manufacturers.
- RIEDEL Glass, Kufstein โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Skilled glassmakers forming glasses and decanters by hand. A lovely craft-manufacturing contrast to robots, presses and production lines.
Austrian watchlist
- BMW Steyr โ โ โ โ โ โ
Engines, electric motors, inverters and Neue Klasse drive technology. Technically one of the most interesting BMW sites, but individual public access is currently more limited than Munich or Leipzig.
Czech Republic
- ล koda Mladรก Boleslav โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
A genuine working automotive plant with production visits plus the ล koda museum. Very good if the route naturally swings through Czechia.
Sweden
- Volvo Torslanda, Gothenburg โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Large-scale Volvo production with human and robotic assembly. Excellent candidate if a Scandinavian version of the journey ever develops.
Swedish watchlist
- Koenigsegg, รngelholm โ โ โ โ โ โ
Potentially one of the most extraordinary visits of the entire project โ very low-volume hypercar production and advanced composites โ but public factory tours are currently suspended. Definitely keep watching.
Hungary
- BMW Debrecen โ โ โ โ โ โ
BMW's newest major production facility, building Neue Klasse vehicles and incorporating new-generation battery/electric-drive technology. A genuine route anchor if we decide the eastern detour is justified.
OPTIONAL SCIENCE, SPACE & BIG ENGINEERING
These aren't manufacturing factories in quite the same sense, but they fit the โseeing Europe doing extraordinary technical thingsโ idea sufficiently well to keep available.
- CERN, Geneva, Switzerland โ โ โ โ โ โ
Real particle-physics infrastructure and engineering on an extraordinary scale. Doesn't need pretending to be manufacturing โ it's interesting enough in its own right.
- ESA ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands โ โ โ โ โ โ
European spacecraft engineering, testing facilities and robotics. Access is more date/opportunity dependent, but potentially exceptional.
- ESA ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany โ โ โ โ โ โ
European spacecraft mission control. Again, public access is opportunistic rather than an everyday tourist visit, but a brilliant fit when dates align.
It depends on your taste I suppose, but in our September tour we did Ferrari, and quite frankly I was not impressed. The "factory tour" was a bus tour around the plant. You don't get off and are not allowed to take pictures and the tour guide watched you like a suspected shoplifter to make sure no pictures were taken.
In Toulouse at the Airbus plant there is also a separate museum which I can thoroughly recommend.
MADE IN EUROPE โ CARS, ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING Germany- BMW Munich โ โ โ โ โ โ
Live BMW vehicle production at the historic home plant, now especially interesting because of the Neue Klasse transition. BMW Welt and the BMW Museum make this a superb full-day engineering stop.
- BMW Leipzig โ โ โ โ โ โ
Live body shop and assembly with extensive robotics, mixed-model production and several propulsion systems moving through the same highly flexible factory.
- BMW Motorrad Berlin โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Engine production and motorcycle assembly rather than another car line. A useful change of scale and manufacturing process.
- Audi Ingolstadt โ โ โ โ โ โ
Proper live production and body-shop tours. A genuine working-factory experience rather than simply a brand visitor centre.
- Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen / Factory 56 โ โ โ โ โ โ
S-Class, Maybach and EQS production in one of Mercedes-Benz's most technologically advanced manufacturing environments.
- Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart โ โ โ โ โ โ
Not production, but an excellent companion to Sindelfingen: cars, engineering, technology and motorsport through the history of Mercedes-Benz.
- Porsche Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart โ โ โ โ โ โ
Live production at Porsche's historic home factory, including 911/Taycan manufacturing. Very strong combination with the Porsche Museum.
- Porsche Museum, Stuttgart โ โ โ โ โ โ
Automotive engineering, design and motorsport history. Makes the Zuffenhausen visit into a proper Porsche day.
- Porsche Leipzig โ โ โ โ โ โ
One of the stronger factory experiences: opportunities to follow production through body construction, paint and assembly. Particularly interesting as a contrast to BMW Leipzig.
- Volkswagen Wolfsburg โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Working VW factory tour combined with Autostadt. Excellent scale, although eventually it may have to compete with Germany's many other car factories for itinerary space.
- Meyer Werft, Papenburg โ โ โ โ โ โ
One of the stars of the entire project. Huge cruise ships constructed inside enormous halls, with premium visits taking you into the working shipyard environment.
- Airbus Hamburg-Finkenwerder โ โ โ โ โ โ
Major A320-family aircraft-production site. Complements Toulouse because you're seeing a different part of Airbus's European manufacturing network.
- MEISSEN Porcelain, Meissen โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Genuine skilled manufacturing: porcelain forming, decorating and artisan production rather than another automotive factory. Excellent variety.
German watchlist
- BMW Regensburg โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Particularly interesting to us because this is the home of X2/iX2 production. No ordinary public factory-tour programme at present, so we keep watching.
- BMW Dingolfing โ โ โ โ โ โ
One of BMW's major production centres and a potentially superb factory visit, but currently not straightforward for individual public visitors.
- BMW Landshut โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Advanced components and materials rather than normal final car assembly. Very interesting technically if public access improves.
Italy- Lamborghini, Sant'Agata Bolognese โ โ โ โ โ โ
Guided access to actual supercar production, combining advanced manufacturing with substantial hand craftsmanship.
- Ducati, Bologna โ โ โ โ โ โ
Motorcycle and engine manufacturing, assembly and inspection. Different enough from the car plants to be an essential part of the Italian cluster.
- Pagani, San Cesario sul Panaro / Modena โ โ โ โ โ โ
Museum plus Atelier. Tiny-scale production, composites and obsessive hand-built craftsmanship โ the exact opposite of a vast robotic car factory.
France- Airbus Toulouse-Blagnac โ โ โ โ โ โ
A350 and A321 final assembly at one of Europe's great industrial sites. An obvious flagship experience for Made in Europe.
- Airbus Atlantic Saint-Nazaire โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Particularly interesting because this isn't final assembly: aircraft structures and components are being manufactured. Shows us how the bits reach Toulouse and Hamburg in the first place.
- Renault Manufacture Louis Schweitzer, Le Mans โ โ โ โ โ โ
Working chassis/component production with automation and modern manufacturing systems for Renault Group brands. Much more interesting for this project than simply another car museum.
United Kingdom- MINI Oxford โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Modern body-in-white and final assembly with extensive robotics. A useful mass-production contrast with Morgan, Lotus and Vintage Bentley.
- Morgan, Malvern โ โ โ โ โ โ
Cars being constructed almost within touching distance using ash, aluminium, leather and skilled hand finishing. One of the most distinctive visits on the list.
- Lotus Hethel โ โ โ โ โ โ
Working sports-car production, including the progress from chassis through to finished car. Strong addition to the UK section.
- Triumph, Hinckley โ โ โ โ โ โ
Much more than motorcycle final assembly: machining, paint, engines, development and testing make this a particularly rounded production visit.
- Vintage Bentley Works, Hill Brow, West Sussex โ โ โ โ โ โ
Working engineering and restoration workshops devoted to W.O. Bentleys. Pre-war engineering, machining and specialist restoration rather than modern mass production.
- JCB, Rocester โ โ โ โ โ โ
A brilliant Made in Europe visit: sheet steel becomes a finished machine through cutting, welding, painting and assembly. Exactly the variety the project needs.
- Royal Mint, Llantrisant โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Genuine coin manufacture inside a major working industrial operation. Completely different from vehicles and consequently very useful.
- Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford โ โ โ โ โ โ
Primarily a museum, but a major motoring collection with restoration/workshop elements. Worth keeping as a broader automotive-history stop.
UK watchlist
- Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Goodwood โ โ โ โ โ โ
Another potentially exceptional manufacturing visit โ hand-built luxury-car production at enormous standards of finish โ but no normal public factory-tour programme at present.
Austria- voestalpine Steel World / Steelworks, Linz โ โ โ โ โ โ
One of the best non-car discoveries: steel production on a huge industrial scale, from raw material and blast furnace through to products used by automotive manufacturers.
- RIEDEL Glass, Kufstein โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Skilled glassmakers forming glasses and decanters by hand. A lovely craft-manufacturing contrast to robots, presses and production lines.
Austrian watchlist
- BMW Steyr โ โ โ โ โ โ
Engines, electric motors, inverters and Neue Klasse drive technology. Technically one of the most interesting BMW sites, but individual public access is currently more limited than Munich or Leipzig.
Czech Republic- ล koda Mladรก Boleslav โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
A genuine working automotive plant with production visits plus the ล koda museum. Very good if the route naturally swings through Czechia.
Sweden- Volvo Torslanda, Gothenburg โ โ โ โ โ ยฝ
Large-scale Volvo production with human and robotic assembly. Excellent candidate if a Scandinavian version of the journey ever develops.
Swedish watchlist
- Koenigsegg, รngelholm โ โ โ โ โ โ
Potentially one of the most extraordinary visits of the entire project โ very low-volume hypercar production and advanced composites โ but public factory tours are currently suspended. Definitely keep watching.
Hungary- BMW Debrecen โ โ โ โ โ โ
BMW's newest major production facility, building Neue Klasse vehicles and incorporating new-generation battery/electric-drive technology. A genuine route anchor if we decide the eastern detour is justified.
OPTIONAL SCIENCE, SPACE & BIG ENGINEERINGThese aren't manufacturing factories in quite the same sense, but they fit the โseeing Europe doing extraordinary technical thingsโ idea sufficiently well to keep available.
- CERN, Geneva, Switzerland โ โ โ โ โ โ
Real particle-physics infrastructure and engineering on an extraordinary scale. Doesn't need pretending to be manufacturing โ it's interesting enough in its own right.
- ESA ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands โ โ โ โ โ โ
European spacecraft engineering, testing facilities and robotics. Access is more date/opportunity dependent, but potentially exceptional.
- ESA ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany โ โ โ โ โ โ
European spacecraft mission control. Again, public access is opportunistic rather than an everyday tourist visit, but a brilliant fit when dates align.
It depends on your taste I suppose, but in our September tour we did Ferrari, and quite frankly I was not impressed. The "factory tour" was a bus tour around the plant. You don't get off and are not allowed to take pictures and the tour guide watched you like a suspected shoplifter to make sure no pictures were taken.
In Toulouse at the Airbus plant there is also a separate museum which I can thoroughly recommend.
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