BMW Brilliance, the joint venture between German luxury automaker BMW and China's Brilliance Auto, said construction on an engine manufacturing plant has begun in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, Beijing Times reported on Saturday.

The new plant will be BMW's only engine manufacturing facility outside of Europe. The goal is for the plant to help double the joint venture's annual engine output from its current mark of 200,000 units to 400,000 when the plant begins production in 2016. All of the engines will be used in locally produced automobiles.

BMW and Brilliance China established their first plant in Shenyang in 2003 and expanded to a second one in 2012, which is expected to increase their capacity in China to 200,000 vehicles.