BMW starts series production of electric i3 at Munich plant
BMW has begun full series production of its new-generation electric i3 model at its Munich plant, marking a key step in the company's shift toward electric vehicle manufacturing. The car is the second model built on BMW's new Neue Klasse platform.
BMW this week began full series production of the new-generation electric i3 at its Munich plant. This is the second vehicle built on the company's newly developed Neue Klasse platform, following the electric iX3, which entered series production earlier.
The company says demand from customers was already so strong before production started that order intake began earlier than originally planned.
Plant rebuilt for the new generation
To enable production of the new-generation electric vehicles, the Munich plant has undergone a major transformation over roughly the past four years. A new body shop and an assembly hall with logistics zones were built there. Pre-series production of the i3 began at the plant in February this year, and the process has now moved into full series production.
BMW intends to ramp up production volumes quickly to meet demand. At the same time, the new production approach — enabled by automation, digitalization, optimized processes and the Neue Klasse architecture — will allow the Munich plant to cut production costs by about 10%.
Plant to become an electrification hub
Under BMW's plans, from 2027 the Munich plant will produce only electric vehicles. With the start of i3 production, the plant is becoming one of the key centers of the company's electrification strategy, where other models based on the Neue Klasse platform are also expected to be built in the future.
As for pricing, the initial version — the BMW i3 First Edition — will start at 75,340 euros in Germany. A cheaper base version, the i3 50 xDrive, will follow later, priced from 65,900 euros.
