Forget slow boats. It has been powerboats to China for Europe’s luxury carmakers recently. That was underscored last week when Germany’s BMW opened a second Chinese plant, in northern Shenyang, with local partner Brilliance Automotive. The new facility doubles BMW’s local production capacity to 200,000 vehicles a year initially and after some further investment could help quadruple it in the medium term.

Last year, BMW sold 223,630 vehicles in China, 14 per cent of its global total. That contrasts with 61,195 units (in greater China), or 4 per cent, five years ago.

Investors may wonder how this expansion sits alongside concerns about the longevity of China’s exponential growth rates. Such worries, plus practical considerations including road congestion and fluctuating government incentives, have reduced Chinese auto demand forecasts generally: Goldman Sachs, for example, now expects 7 per cent growth in light vehicle sales in 2012, compared with a 10 per cent estimate previously.