BMW is expanding German electric powertrain production capacity. The brand announced this today. From 2021, the plant in Leipzig will be involved in the production of battery modules. It will be BMW’s fourth factory to produce this technology.
Currently, BMW makes battery modules in Dingolfing (Germany), Spartanburg (America) and Shenyang (China). With the expansion of the factory in Leipzig, a second production facility will be added in Germany. In the run-up to 2022, BMW plans to invest € 100 million in the Leipzig plant to prepare for increasing sales of electric cars. The battery production hall in Leipzig will soon take up no less than 10,000 square meters. Production should start in mid-2021. Leipzig is also the factory where the i3 is built, so BMW already has the necessary knowledge there.
Bavaria has big plans when it comes to electrifying the model range. From 2021, one in four BMWs sold in Europe must be equipped with a (partly) electric powertrain. By 2030, that share should have grown to one in two. By 2023, BMW claims to have 25 cars with some form of electric drive in the showroom, half of which will be fully electric. To meet these ambitions, it is crucial that battery production is increased. The i-menu includes models such as the i4, new i3, iNext and i5.