Hyperdrive
BMW Converts Century-Old German Plant to Make Only Electric Cars
- Automaker invests €650 million to upgrade its Munich factory
- Site will produce next-generation ‘Neue Klasse’ EVs from 2026
Employees work on the production line at the BMW plant in Munich, Germany.
Photographer: Alexandra Beier/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
BMW AG is spending €650 million ($712 million) to retool its flagship factory in Munich into the company’s first site that will only make fully electric vehicles, part of a push to challenge leaders Tesla Inc. and BYD Co.
The overhaul involves four buildings including a new assembly line and will be completed by the end of 2027, BMW said Wednesday. The plant, where BMW has been producing cars since 1922, currently makes combustion-engine models, plug-in hybrids and full EVs such as the i4.