BMW is set to produce fully electric models for the Neue Klasse platform in its San Luis Potosí plant in Mexico. The company is investing €800m in the facility, with €500m allocated for the construction of a new 85,000 sq. m assembly centre for high-voltage batteries on the plant grounds, which will add 500 additional employees to produce next-generation batteries. The plant has the necessary space and weight-handling requirements on its assembly hangers to add electric vehicles without requiring a significant overhaul. Harald Gottsche, plant director and CEO of BMW’s San Luis Potosí facility, noted in an interview that the plant could triple its production capacity and integrate different models. The high-voltage battery of the Neue Klasse is directly integrated into the vehicle structure, and so the assembly in San Luis Potosí is being expanded to integrate this new process into operations.
BMW will begin a second shift at the plant in April, adding another 500 new jobs, and integrate the Neue Klasse at Plant San Luis Potosí from 2027 onwards. The new EV platform will use new, round lithium-ion battery cells developed specifically for the sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology, which will offer an energy density increase of over 20% and a 30% increase in potential charging speed, according to Frank Weber, BMW’s head of development. CO2 emissions from cell production will be reduced by up to 60%, with cell suppliers relying on energy from renewable resources and using a certain percentage of secondary material. The company recently announced an investment of $1.7 billion in the expansion of its Spartanburg production site in the US, including $1 billion for preparations for production of electric vehicles and $700 million for construction of a new assembly centre for high-voltage batteries. By 2030, the BMW Group aims to build at least six full-electric models in the US.
Peter Weber, Plant Munich director, noted that the company is using digital tools in the planning and upgrading of the plant’s facilities in readiness for the start of production of the Neue Klasse. The company is developing a digital twin of the structure and processes, enabling a fast and precise update based on the digital twin. The first cars of the Neue Klasse will come off the production line at the plant in Debrecen, Hungary, starting in 2025, followed by the main plant in Munich. BMW is also expanding its facility in San Luis Potosí, Mexico to integrate this new process into its operations.