BMW Group Plant Munich has begun series production of the electric BMW i3, the second Neue Klasse model to enter manufacturing. The company says demand since order books opened in mid-June has been strong enough to justify a steep production ramp-up. The switch also cuts manufacturing costs at the plant by a further 10 per cent, and from 2027 Munich will build fully electric vehicles only.

BMW has started series production of the new i3 at its main plant in Munich, marking the second model of the company’s Neue Klasse generation to reach the assembly line. Orders opened in mid-June, and according to BMW the response has been strong enough to warrant a faster than usual ramp-up curve at the site.

Four years of rebuilding

The start of production follows four years of transformation work at the plant, including a new body shop and a new assembly hall with attached logistics areas. All of it was carried out while the site continued building up to 1,000 vehicles a day. The most recent addition is a delivery hall, still in its commissioning phase, where cars will undergo final inspection before being handed to sales.

Roughly a third of the plant site has been rebuilt. BMW says the result is a more flexible and more digital operation, set up for the demands of electric production.

“The start of production of the BMW i3 heralds a new era for our main plant. With the fully-electric BMW i3, we are bringing together what belongs together: The 3 Series embodies BMW more than almost any other model – and Plant Munich represents our brand more than almost any other production site,” said Raymond Wittmann, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Production.

Jochen Goller, the board member responsible for Customer, Brands and Sales, framed the order intake as evidence that the new generation is landing well: “The models of the Neue Klasse are proving to be very popular. The second Neue Klasse model, the BMW i3, is already seeing strong demand since orders opened ahead of its launch.”

Another 10 per cent off manufacturing costs

Plant manager Peter Weber says the i3 launch lowers manufacturing costs in Munich by another 10 per cent. BMW attributes the saving to early planning with development teams and suppliers, modern production technology in the new buildings, targeted automation and digitalisation, and the architecture of the Neue Klasse platform itself.

The company does not state what the 10 per cent is measured against in absolute terms.

Munich goes fully electric in 2027

From 2027 the Munich plant will produce only fully electric vehicles, with further Neue Klasse models to follow. That is a significant step for a site that has been tied to the 3 Series since 1975 and has since built more than nine million of them. It also puts BMW’s oldest volume plant on the same footing as newer EV-only facilities from rivals, while the wider group continues to build combustion and hybrid models elsewhere.

Where the batteries and motors come from

The i3’s sixth-generation high-voltage batteries come from BMW’s new plant at Irlbach-Straßkirchen in Lower Bavaria, around 90 minutes from Munich, which supplies Munich and other German sites under what BMW calls a “local for local” approach. The company says battery production uses continuous inline quality control, digital twins and artificial intelligence.

The Gen6 electric motor is built at BMW Group Plant Steyr in Austria, which has produced drive systems for more than 40 years and is now adding its first electric motor. Rotor, stator, power converter and transmission are all made on site, in newly built lines and cleanroom areas. The motor housing is cast at the aluminium foundry at Plant Landshut.

What it means

BMW is signalling that the Neue Klasse rollout is on schedule and that the order books support it. The cost reduction matters as much as the volume: European manufacturers are under pressure to make electric cars profitable at a similar level to combustion models, and a 10 per cent cut at the group’s most symbolic plant is the kind of number investors watch.

Facts: BMW i3

  • Start of production: August 2026
  • Production location: BMW Group Plant Munich
  • Battery: sixth-generation high-voltage, from Plant Irlbach-Straßkirchen
  • Electric motor: Gen6, from Plant Steyr, Austria
  • Energy consumption (i3 50 xDrive, provisional): 16.1–13.4 kWh/100 km (WLTP)
  • CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km, CO₂ class A
  • Range (i3 50 xDrive, provisional): 758–912 km (471–567 miles), WLTP
  • Manufacturing cost effect: a further 10 per cent reduction at Plant Munich

BMW has not published prices or a market launch date for the i3 in this announcement. Cars have been available to order since mid-June.

Source: www.press.bmwgroup.com