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BMW Group said to day that Plant Munich is gearing up to launch the NEUE KLASSE in summer 2026. Three new production halls are currently being built for the body shop, assembly and associated production logistics. (Read AutoInformed.com on: BMW Group Posts So-So Sales Results in 2024 and BMW Manufacturing Top U.S. Exporter Again)
“For the production start of the NEUE KLASSE, we will have a state-of-the-art plant in Munich that is characterized by flexibility, innovation and, above all, efficiency,” said Plant Director Peter Weber.
Pre-Series Production at a Pilot Plant?
The schedule for the ramp-up in Munich is carefully synchronized, partially due to the plant’s refurbishment. The first pre-series vehicles will be built at the pilot plant of the BMW Group Research and Innovation Center (FIZ), with support from Plant Munich’s production team, before the end of 2025.
“Alongside the pilot plant at the FIZ, we are also using virtual simulations to ensure a smooth ramp-up,” said Weber, describing the unusual situation in the decisive year ahead of the launch. Munich’s veteran launch team is also working closely with colleagues at the new plant in Debrecen, Hungary, where the first NEUE KLASSE model will enter production late in 2025.
BMW Group plants are capable of producing different model variants and drivetrain types on a single line. Since the ramp-up of electro-mobility is not linear and will progress at varying speeds, the company has relied on “flex-plants”, which can manufacture vehicles with both internal combustion engines and electric drivetrains.
By the end of the decade, the BMW Group forecasts a significant increase in the market shares of fully-electric vehicles. For this reason, the plants in Debrecen and, later, Munich will be the first facilities dedicated exclusively to fully-electric vehicles, enhancing electrification capacities throughout the network. The German plants lead the way on e-mobility in the BMW Group’s production network: Alongside traditional drive technologies, each of them builds at least one fully-electric model for the global market. The BMW Group continues to expand its domestic locations, manufacturing over a million vehicles there last year – accounting for a quarter of Germany’s total automotive production.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
BMW Group Plant Munich Undergoing Renovation
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BMW Group said to day that Plant Munich is gearing up to launch the NEUE KLASSE in summer 2026. Three new production halls are currently being built for the body shop, assembly and associated production logistics. (Read AutoInformed.com on: BMW Group Posts So-So Sales Results in 2024 and BMW Manufacturing Top U.S. Exporter Again)
“For the production start of the NEUE KLASSE, we will have a state-of-the-art plant in Munich that is characterized by flexibility, innovation and, above all, efficiency,” said Plant Director Peter Weber.
Pre-Series Production at a Pilot Plant?
The schedule for the ramp-up in Munich is carefully synchronized, partially due to the plant’s refurbishment. The first pre-series vehicles will be built at the pilot plant of the BMW Group Research and Innovation Center (FIZ), with support from Plant Munich’s production team, before the end of 2025.
“Alongside the pilot plant at the FIZ, we are also using virtual simulations to ensure a smooth ramp-up,” said Weber, describing the unusual situation in the decisive year ahead of the launch. Munich’s veteran launch team is also working closely with colleagues at the new plant in Debrecen, Hungary, where the first NEUE KLASSE model will enter production late in 2025.
BMW Group plants are capable of producing different model variants and drivetrain types on a single line. Since the ramp-up of electro-mobility is not linear and will progress at varying speeds, the company has relied on “flex-plants”, which can manufacture vehicles with both internal combustion engines and electric drivetrains.
By the end of the decade, the BMW Group forecasts a significant increase in the market shares of fully-electric vehicles. For this reason, the plants in Debrecen and, later, Munich will be the first facilities dedicated exclusively to fully-electric vehicles, enhancing electrification capacities throughout the network. The German plants lead the way on e-mobility in the BMW Group’s production network: Alongside traditional drive technologies, each of them builds at least one fully-electric model for the global market. The BMW Group continues to expand its domestic locations, manufacturing over a million vehicles there last year – accounting for a quarter of Germany’s total automotive production.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.