On March 15 the BMW Group announced that it will start the standard production of Neue Klasse vehicles in the second half of 2025 at the new plant in Debrecen (Hungary), which will exclusively produce Neue Klasse vehicles. From 2026 on, Neue Klasse models will also be manufactured at the main plant in Munich, which is currently being comprehensively modernized for it.
Standard production of the Neue Klasse will begin in 2027 at Plant San Luis Potosi, where the BMW Group is investing EUR 800 million to integrate fully-electric models and build a local high-voltage battery assembly. Further Neue Klasse production sites will be announced shortly.
The Neue Klasse will start in the high-volume core of the BMW brand with a Sports Activity Vehicle and a sedan in today's 3 Series segment. In total, production of at least six Neue Klasse models will begin across the BMW Group's worldwide production network in the first 24 months.
3 Series (BMW)
Nanjing SemiDrive Technology Ltd. (SemiDrive), an auto chip developer in China, announced that it forged a strategic alliance with Wuhan KOTEI Informatics Co., Ltd. (KOTEI). Leveraging SemiDrive’s E3 series automotive MCU, the two companies will carry out strategic cooperation in fields such as power domain control systems, high-performance electric drive system solutions, chassis-by-wire (including steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire), vehicle body control, and domain control systems. SemiDrive and KOTEI will first jointly develop localized power domain control solutions. Next, they will develop an all-in-one design solution for power systems, integrating high-voltage electrical components such as DCDC, OBC, and PDU. (From a press release dated February 16, 2023)
On February 3, BMW announced it will invest EUR 800 million at its plant in San Luis Potosí, Mexico to produce fully-electric NEUE KLASSE models and assemble high-voltage batteries.
EUR 500 million is earmarked for construction of a new 85,000-square-meter assembly center located on the plant grounds for the high-voltage batteries, where more than 500 new employees will assemble the high-voltage batteries.
A special feature of the NEUE KLASSE is that the high-voltage battery is directly integrated into the vehicle structure.
The assembly line in San Luis Potosí is therefore being expanded to integrate this new process into operations.
A second shift will begin at the plant in April, adding another 500 new jobs.
A total of about 1,000 employees will be added to the 3,000 currently building the BMW 3 Series, 2 Series Coupé and new M2.
The models of the NEUE KLASSE will use new, round lithium-ion battery cells developed specifically for what will be the sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology.
The first cars of the NEUE KLASSE will be built in Debrecen, Hungary, starting in 2025, followed by the main plant in Munich, Germany, and finally in San Luis Potosí in 2027.
The company only recently announced an investment of USD 1.7 billion for its Spartanburg plant, with USD 1 billion for preparations to build EVs and USD 700 million for construction of a new assembly center for high-voltage batteries in nearby Woodruff.
By 2030, the BMW Group aims to build at least six fully-electric models in the U.S.
(BMW press release on February 3, 2023)
Keyword: plant operating status