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BMW Group Plant Regensburg* posted a a new production record of 356,901 vehicles during 2025, making it the BMW Group’s highest-volume car plant in Europe. Since the plant opened in 1986, 8.7 million vehicles have rolled off its production line.
“With this record production, we not only reached a new all-time high in the plant’s 40-year history but also – as in the previous year – helped the BMW Group’s German plants build more than one million vehicles again in 2025,” said Plant Director Armin Ebner. “For 40 years, the plant has been a central development powerhouse for the eastern Bavarian region. “Continuous and consistent efforts to increase our competitiveness remain the key to our success. Every single day in Regensburg, we demonstrate that competitive production is possible in Germany,” said Ebner. By implementing efficiency measures within its production system, BMW Group Plant Regensburg has lowered costs by more than a quarter since 2019.
“Digitalization is an important lever for this,” said Ebner. Examples include the use of artificial intelligence in automated surface processing in the paint shop and for quality controls during vehicle assembly, or a cloud-based traffic control system for supplying parts. Since early 2025, new vehicles have also been able to navigate autonomously, without a driver, from the assembly line to the loading area.
More than 150,000 of the vehicles manufactured in Regensburg in 2025 were electrified – either fully-electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids. The BMW X1 was the highest-volume model, with more than 266,000 vehicles produced. The BMW X2 accounted for more than 90,000 vehicles. More than 55,000 vehicles remained in the company’s domestic market of Germany. More than half of the cars produced in Regensburg in 2025 went to customers in other European countries. More than 100,000 vehicles were shipped overseas.
40 years of BMW Group Plant Regensburg
- 1983 – Decision, contract signing for establishment of Regensburg site.
- 1984 – Groundbreaking with Minister-President Franz-Josef Strauß. Construction of production halls begins.
- 1985 – Topping-out ceremony.
- 1986 – Start of production for BMW 3 Series (E30); around 1300 employees.
- 1987 – Paint shop commissioned. First networked computers in assembly inaugurate the computer age.
- 1988 – Around 3300 employees
- 1990 – Body shop commissioned
- 1991 – Annual production: around 128,000 vehicles, surpassing the 100,000 mark. Around 7300 employees
- 1995 – Production milestone: 1,000,000 vehicles manufactured in Regensburg.
- 1997 – Press shop completed.
- 1999 – Annual production exceeds 200,000 vehicles for the first time. More than 8700 employees
- 2001 – Groundbreaking for plant expansion: paint shop and body shop.
- 2005 – Annual production exceeds 300,000 vehicles for the first time.
- 2007 – Groundbreaking for press shop expansion.
- 2010 – Assembly/finish refurbishment.
- 2013 – New press system commissioned.
- 2014 – Completion of automated small parts warehouse.
- 2015 – EFQM Excellence Award; BMW X1 series launch.
- 2017 – West expansion of assembly commissioned.
- 2018 – Start of BMW X2 series production.
- 2025 – Additional body shop commissioned in Neutraubling.
- 2026 – Around 9000 employees, including approx. 380 apprentices.
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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.
Milestones – 40 Years for BMW Group Plant Regensburg
Click for more.
BMW Group Plant Regensburg* posted a a new production record of 356,901 vehicles during 2025, making it the BMW Group’s highest-volume car plant in Europe. Since the plant opened in 1986, 8.7 million vehicles have rolled off its production line.
“With this record production, we not only reached a new all-time high in the plant’s 40-year history but also – as in the previous year – helped the BMW Group’s German plants build more than one million vehicles again in 2025,” said Plant Director Armin Ebner. “For 40 years, the plant has been a central development powerhouse for the eastern Bavarian region. “Continuous and consistent efforts to increase our competitiveness remain the key to our success. Every single day in Regensburg, we demonstrate that competitive production is possible in Germany,” said Ebner. By implementing efficiency measures within its production system, BMW Group Plant Regensburg has lowered costs by more than a quarter since 2019.
“Digitalization is an important lever for this,” said Ebner. Examples include the use of artificial intelligence in automated surface processing in the paint shop and for quality controls during vehicle assembly, or a cloud-based traffic control system for supplying parts. Since early 2025, new vehicles have also been able to navigate autonomously, without a driver, from the assembly line to the loading area.
More than 150,000 of the vehicles manufactured in Regensburg in 2025 were electrified – either fully-electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids. The BMW X1 was the highest-volume model, with more than 266,000 vehicles produced. The BMW X2 accounted for more than 90,000 vehicles. More than 55,000 vehicles remained in the company’s domestic market of Germany. More than half of the cars produced in Regensburg in 2025 went to customers in other European countries. More than 100,000 vehicles were shipped overseas.
40 years of BMW Group Plant Regensburg
AutoInformed on
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.