BMW starts pre-series production of the Neue Klasse in Hungary
As the validation of production processes is “progressing according to plan” with the assembly of the test vehicles, BMW says it is well on track to start series production at the end of 2025 as planned. With the cars almost ready for series production, the entire logistics and production processes are tested under real conditions at the plant in Debrecen, Hungary. They are continuously optimised to ensure a smooth start to series production. The paint shop started trial operation in September.
“The production of the first test vehicles in Debrecen is an important milestone in commissioning the new plant,” says Milan Nedeljković, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Production. The test vehicles will pass through all production steps. That also means that all logistics processes, production facilities and operations performed by employees must already run smoothly. “These operations are just as complex as in actual series production. Despite the limited number of parts involved, they must still be made available in the appropriate logistics processes,” says BMW.
The new BMW factory in eastern Hungary was first announced in July 2018, when construction was scheduled to begin in mid-2019. The foundation stone was not actually laid until June 2022 – but then for a pure EV factory and not as a mixed plant with combustion models as announced in 2018. The capacity of the entire vehicle plant – press shop, body shop, paint shop and assembly – is 150,000 vehicles per year. As the new factory is also being built in line with BMW’s ‘iFactory’ strategy, it is the global flagship plant that sets the path for all BMW factories worldwide. The ‘iFactory’ sets targets for energy use and sustainability and provides for a high degree of digitalisation in production.
Even with this, the processes can be planned digitally, but there is no way for BMW to avoid precise testing in practice. “Materials and vehicle parts are delivered daily to Plant Debrecen, with test vehicles coming off the production line on a continuous basis. Every part and every production step is closely scrutinised,” writes the German carmaker. And: “Special attention is paid to validation of cutting-edge production systems and tools, including their digital connectivity.”
BMW is not giving any further details about the model and is only showing the test vehicles with heavy camouflage. The BMW Vision Neue Klasse X study presented in the spring provided a glimpse of the electric SUV from Hungary. Recently, images from a patent application have emerged that are said to show the final design of the iX3 successor.
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