Dräxlmaier tops out new battery plant in Leipzig

Automotive supplier Dräxlmaier celebrated the topping-out of a new plant for the production of high-voltage battery systems in Leipzig on Monday. The battery systems intended for the electric Macan will roll off the Porsche assembly line at Leipzig.

For Dräxlmaier, this is not the first battery order from Porsche. The company has been producing 800-volt battery systems for the Porsche Taycan in Sachsenheim near Stuttgart since last year. The sports car manufacturer is currently preparing the Leipzig plant to build the electric Macan based on the new PPE platform from 2022, initially in parallel with the current MLB-based internal combustion engine model, which will receive another facelift.

In the announcement, Dräxlmaier refers only to a “premium SUV” that will utilise the batteries from the new plant. This can only refer to the Macan.

Dräxlmaier plans to begin assembling the battery systems in the 28,000-square-meter hall not far from the Porsche plant in northern Leipzig as early as July 2021. The first 180 jobs will be created there. The first employees of the Leipzig production facility are currently being trained in the existing battery assembly facility in Sachsenheim. The investment of 48 million euros is being subsidized by the Sächsische Aufbaubank, among others.

“We are convinced that we can only achieve our ambitious climate targets by systematically developing electric mobility and other alternative drive technologies,” says Fritz Dräxlmaier, Chairman of the Dräxlmaier Group. COO Jan Reblin emphasizes that “complex automation technology is used to achieve the highest product quality. The Bavarian supplier has been active in Leipzig since 2004. The existing production plant manufactures interior systems and wiring systems for Porsche.

“The new plant for high-voltage batteries creates modern jobs and strengthens the Leipzig automotive region”, said Saxony’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer. “The decision underlines the innovative potential and the pioneering role of the Free State in the field of electromobility.”

With reporting by Sebastian Schaal, Germany.

tag24.de, mdr.de, automobilwoche.de, draexlmaier.com (all in German)