Reported on March 17, 2023, Brembo Beyond EV kit, for the first time in Southeast Asia, has been displayed in Malaysia at the Automechanika Kuala Lumpur 2023 (AMKL).
This first specific brake pads dedicated to electric cars offer a complete disc solution with new anti-corrosion treatment. It is more silent and has greater durability. According to Brembo’s official distributor Emerald Auto Parts Sdn. Bhd. (Emerald), the kit will be available in the Malaysian market from May 2023. It is compatible with EVs such as the Volkswagen E-Golf, BMW i3, Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Ioniq, and the range of Tesla Model 3, S, X, and Y.
At the event, Brembo's new X-Style aluminium Caliper range, developed for Mercedes-Benz models such as the C Class Sedan, GLC Class SUV and E Class Sedan, were also put on display.
(From an article of New Straits Times on March 17, 2023)
i3 (BMW)
On February 20, the BMW i3 eDrive40L battery electric vehicle (BEV) rolled off the production line at the Lydia Plant (BMW iFACTORY) in Shenyang, Liaoning.
As a high-end model of the BMW i3, the new vehicle boasts stronger performance and a longer range, with a maximum power of 250kW, a peak torque of 430Nm, a 0 to 100km/h acceleration time of as little as 5.6 seconds, and a range of 592km under the CLTC standard. It also features configurations such as Autonomous Driving Assistance System Pro and a Harman/Kardon high-end audio system.
For electrification, in 2022, there were five BMW BEVs for sale in China, among which the BMW i7 was launched at the end of the year. In 2023, BMW plans to increase the number of its BEV products to 11, with the BMW iX1, the 3rd China-made BEV, included.
It is expected that BMW will deliver the 2 millionth BEV in the world in 2025 and will unveil “Die Neue Klasse” models featuring a new architecture in the same year. By 2030, BEVs will account for 50% of BMW’s sales, and the total sales volume of electric vehicles will reach 10 million units.
From a BMW press release
On February 1, the BMW Group announced that the Leipzig plant’s first cell coating line has gone into series operation.
By 2024 the two existing module assembly lines will be complemented by a third, as well as four more cell coating lines and two more high-voltage battery assembly lines. The four coating lines will enter series operation in 2023 at roughly two-month intervals.
The BMW Group is investing more than EUR 800 million to establish and develop e-component production at BMW Plant Leipzig. Covering 2,300 square meters, the new cell coating system at the BMW plant in Leipzig is located in the former production hall of the BMW i3.
The new coating line can handle more than 10 million cells a year. The coated cells are then used on the battery module production line in Leipzig, to make modules for the BMW i4 and BMW iX1. A further line at the facility is producing battery modules for the BMW iX.
The continued expansion of Plant Leipzig is very much driven by e-component production, which will take up some 150,000 square meters of manufacturing space in the future. At present, more than 800 employees work in e-component production which will increase to 1,000 in 2024.
The company plans to produce MINI Countryman successor with combustion engines or a fully electric drive at the end of 2023.
