What’s Happening
BMW Group’s Regensburg Plant celebrated a significant production milestone as the one-millionth BMW X1 rolled off the assembly line. The landmark vehicle, an iX1 battery electric vehicle (BEV) in Alpine White, not only illustrates the four-decade history of the Regensburg location but also signals a commitment to electrification. As the smallest Sports Activity Vehicle in BMW’s fleet, the X1 had its fully electric model introduced at the Regensburg plant in November 2022.
Why It Matters
“The BMW iX1 validates our ability to build attractive electric vehicles for the premium compact class at our Regensburg plant. Its popularity among customers worldwide is evidence of this,” states Plant Director Carsten Regent. The plant’s flexible production line allows for the production of various types of drive trains for the BMW X1, including combustion engines, plug-in hybrid systems, and purely electric drive trains, to meet diverse market demands.
Key Points
- The electric BMW iX1 xDrive30, produced at the Regensburg location, triumphed in the “Best Cars 2023” readers’ choice conducted by the trade journal auto, motor und sport. It earned 8.4% of votes, winning best-in-class in the compact SUV segment.
- By the end of the year, the plant will begin producing a second BMW BEV, the fully-electric BMW iX2, for the high-volume compact class.
- BMW Group has pledged an investment of over 350 million euros in vehicle production in Regensburg by the end of the year, which will result in approximately 500 new permanent jobs.
- Up to 1,000 units of the BMW 1 Series, BMW X1, and BMW X2 models are produced daily at the Regensburg plant, all of which are destined for global distribution.
Bottom Line
The Regensburg plant remains at the forefront of BMW Group’s electrification and digitalization efforts. Notably, it was the first plant in the automotive industry to fully digitalize and automate the process for inspecting, processing, and marking painted vehicle surfaces in standard production, using AI-controlled robots. These advancements culminate in the establishment of the intelligently connected BMW iFACTORY at the facility in Upper Palatinate, paving the way for efficient future plant structures and production facilities.
