BMW has announced the start of production of its new generation of electric cars in China. The ‘Neue Klasse’ will arrive in the Middle Kingdom from the factory in Shenyang.
The ‘New Class’ of ambitious electric cars from BMW will arrive in Germany in 2025. The manufacturer had already confirmed the creation of this Neue Klasse last year.
BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipse described it as « a complete reset of the car and our understanding of mobility”. The future 3 Series – including its electric version i3 – will fit into this new development plan.
We also know that a sports SUV will be there, as well as four other models. These will gradually arrive on the European market between 2025 and 2027. We now know that China is on the program for these vehicles.
It is in the factory of BMW Brilliance Automotive, a Chinese joint venture, that the brand will manufacture them. The Chinese BMW iX3 has already been produced there since the end of 2020.
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A transformation for the battery factory
For this, BMW will invest around 1.3 billion euros to modernize and adapt its Shenyang plant. For the moment, this site is only used to produce batteries for electric cars. The production lines will therefore have to accommodate the capacity to produce the vehicles.
“From a small assembly site with a limited number of units, our factories in Shenyang have become our largest production site in the world”said Milan Nedeljković, BMW board member in charge of production in Shenyang.
“Today, 20 years after the start of production of our joint venture, I am delighted to announce the local production of the ‘Neue Klasse’ in China. The integration of the ‘Neue Klasse’ into our production in China goes hand in hand with the construction of a battery assembly for the next generation of batteries, which will be the sixth. »
“This will contribute significantly to the further electrification of our range. And therefore also to our success as a company. »
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