In Munich, BMW is already producing the electric i4, its combustion counterpart, the 4 Series Gran Coupé, as well as the 3 Series and 3 Series Touring in combustion and hybrid versions. Due to the ongoing production of these model series, the ramp-up of the Neue Klasse cars in Munich, including the conversion, is tightly timed. BMW had already decided that the Neue Klasse vehicles would come to Munich in 2022.
As announced, the Munich plant will exclusively produce all-electric vehicles starting in 2027. As BMW has now confirmed, the first pre-series vehicles are to be built this year – but not in the vehicle plant, but in the pilot plant at the Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ). However, the production team from the Munich plant will provide support to gather experience for the later start of production at the vehicle plant. BMW is also relying on simulations and dialogue with the team from the Debrecen plant, where pre-series production of the upcoming iX3 based on the Neue Klasse is already underway.
This electric SUV is internally referred to by the code name NA5, and series production is due to start in Hungary at the end of this year. In contrast to Munich, the plant was built completely from scratch on a greenfield site, but the experience can still be transferred. This is because, in line with BMW’s iFactory strategy, the production technology is the same. The 3 Series sedan called NA0 – presumably called the i3 series model – and later the NA1 as the i3 Touring are considered to be set for the factory in Munich. It has not yet been confirmed whether further Neue Klasse series vehicles will be added there or in Debrecen.
At the Munich plant itself, three new production halls for body construction, assembly and the associated production logistics will be built during ongoing series production. “For the production start of the NEUE KLASSE, we will have a state-of-the-art plant in Munich that is characterised by flexibility, innovation and, above all, efficiency,” announces Plant Manager Peter Weber. According to Weber, the Neue Klasse will also “significantly reduce” production costs – but the manager does not provide any figures.
Optimised processes and targeted automation should contribute to the lower production costs, but also the platform itself – because BMW is moving away from the multi-energy approach in the Neue Klasse and only electric drives are planned. ‘As a result of the concentration on just one drive variant, some production steps and parts will be eliminated, for example, in the area of wiring harnesses, which previously varied and were complex to install depending on the engine variant,’ the car manufacturer writes in the press release.
As Munich is expecting a significant increase in the market share of fully electric vehicles by the end of the decade, the main German plant and the new factory in Debrecen, Hungary, where the Neue Klasse will make its debut with a 3-series electric SUV, will be completely converted to electric cars. The other vehicle plants – in Germany, for example, Dingolfing and Leipzig – will remain “flex plants” for the time being, which can produce different drive types on one line. “In this way, we can ensure our delivery capabilities in different market situations and maintain good capacity utilisation at our locations,” explains Milan Nedeljković, Member of the Board of Management for Production.
