BMW to produce EVs only in Munich after 2027

BMW's historic plant in Munich, Germany, will transition to electric vehicle production at the end of 2027, BMW announced Wednesday.

The plant, located next to BMW's global headquarters, dates back to 1922, when BMW manufactured aircraft engines; since 1952, it has produced cars from the BMW 501.

BMW plans to invest 650 million euros (about $714 million) to retrofit the plant for mass production of EVs.

To make room, engine production was moved to sites in Austria and the UK last year.

The Munich plant is currently responsible for the 3-series and 4-series lines, with the last combustion versions to be produced in late 2027. The plant assembles approximately 1,000 cars per day; production of the Neue Classe EV, a sedan considered to be part of the next generation 3 Series family, will begin in 2026.

Production of the first Neue Classe EV will begin in 2025 at a new plant in Debrecen, Hungary. Neue Classe EVs will also be produced at plants in China and North America during this decade.

Neue Klasse means "new class" in German and is the code name for the next generation BMW EV, which will use a newly developed platform. The vehicle will also introduce a new design theme for the exterior and cabin of BMW vehicles, which was heralded last year with the Vision Neue Klasse concept, which BMW CEO Oliver Zipse said is a faithful reproduction of the upcoming Neue Klasse sedan. the upcoming Neue Classe sedan, he said at the unveiling.

The sedan will be followed by an SUV, a prototype of which has been spotted; the SUV will likely be part of the next-generation X3 family. Following the sedan and SUV will be four more Neue Classe EVs.