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The Neue Klasse will mark the beginning of a new era in fully electric driving for the BMW Group, with its success hinging largely on the production of high-performance high-voltage batteries. To support this, BMW is significantly expanding its global production network for the next generation of these batteries.
We are establishing five facilities across three continents to manufacture our sixth-generation high-voltage batteries
- Milan Nedeljković, BMW AG Board Member for Production.
The “local for local” principle will guide this strategy worldwide, as Markus Fallböhmer, Senior Vice President of Battery Production at BMW AG, explained: "Integrating battery production closely with vehicle manufacturing is a key part of our approach." This strategy enhances the resilience of BMW's production processes globally.
State-of-the-art assembly plants for sixth-generation high-voltage batteries are currently being built in Irlbach-Strasskirchen (Lower Bavaria), Debrecen (Hungary), Woodruff (near Plant Spartanburg in the U.S.), Shenyang (China), and San Luis Potosí (Mexico). Adopting a "local for local" strategy, BMW ensures that production can continue even during unforeseen political or economic disruptions. Additionally, the close proximity between battery and vehicle plants will help lower the carbon footprint of car manufacturing. The BMW Group is also upgrading its existing facilities, safeguarding and creating jobs in the process.
This new plant is set to begin operations in 2025, with high-voltage battery and vehicle production launching simultaneously. The training centre, which has been operational since autumn 2023, and the communications centre, in use since February 2024, have already welcomed a large number of employees. Meanwhile, the production team is preparing for their roles at various BMW Group production sites, ensuring a seamless start to pre-series production and a successful series launch in the second half of 2025. Currently, the final buildings are nearing completion and will be handed over to the technology teams by the end of the year.
The BMW Group will also produce high-voltage batteries for Neue Klasse models in Germany, specifically at its new facility in Irlbach-Straßkirchen, Lower Bavaria. This plant will supply sixth-generation high-voltage batteries to BMW's German car factories. In April 2024, the company received approval to build the new battery assembly plant, and by late June 2024, the first pillar for the production hall was erected. The building is expected to be fully enclosed with its façade and roof by the end of the year. Local support for the project was strong, with a clear majority of Straßkirchen residents voting in favour of BMW's arrival in a September 2023 referendum.
Starting in 2026, BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA) in Shenyang, China, will manufacture Neue Klasse vehicles. The sixth-generation high-voltage batteries needed for these cars will also be produced locally. After a 21-month construction period, the production hall was completed in November 2023, and installation of equipment began in March 2024. To support the launch of the Neue Klasse, BMW has also established its largest research and development network outside of Germany, with facilities in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Nanjing.
In Mexico, BMW's San Luis Potosí plant is expanding to support Neue Klasse production starting in 2027. Construction of a new high-voltage battery assembly plant began in May 2024, covering over 80,000 square meters. Alongside the battery facility, the Bodyshop will expand to more than 90,000 square meters, and vehicle assembly and logistics areas will grow by nearly 10,000 square meters. BMW will be the first premium automaker to produce fully electric cars and high-voltage batteries in Mexico, leading the industry in innovation. Additionally, BMW plans to double the photovoltaic power generated on-site, aiming to meet over 20% of the plant's energy demand with renewable sources.
In South Carolina, electromobility is advancing with the development of BMW Group Plant Woodruff, which will span approximately 93 hectares. This facility will include a technology building, energy centre, staff restaurant, fire department, and a Talent Campus, creating over 300 new jobs. Scheduled for completion in 2026, the plant will assemble high-voltage batteries for fully electric vehicles produced at the nearby Plant Spartanburg. The ground-breaking ceremony for the first building, a training centre, took place in June 2023.
Prototype battery cells for the Neue Klasse, launching in 2025, are already being produced at BMW’s Cell Manufacturing Competence Centre (CMCC) in Parsdorf, near Munich. The CMCC was designed to work in tandem with the Battery Cell Competence Centre (BCCC) in northern Munich, where development occurs. This collaboration ensures that the best products are scaled for series production. Additional pre-series plants and pilot lines for future high-voltage batteries are also operated by BMW in Munich, Parsdorf, and Hallbergmoos.
