For the i3: BMW says Munich plant ready for Neue Klasse

The production equipment for the new body shop and assembly line at the Munich plant has been installed and functional tests successfully completed, the manufacturer announced. The BMW Munich plant is now ‘ready for the production of the next vehicle generation.’However, the location has yet to produce any vehicles or parts. Instead, this phase is more of a ‘dry run.’ During the so-called ‘Common Function Test,’ production planners and equipment technicians examine the machinery in meticulous detail. “All production steps are executed without any parts in the system. Cycle by cycle, an invisible vehicle takes shape. Although no actual car is produced, this process provides the certainty that everything operates seamlessly and as planned,” BMW explained.Previous test models of the new i3—which, apart from the electric powertrain and the name, shares nothing with the well-known battery-electric compact car produced in Leipzig—were still assembled at the nearby Research and Innovation Centre. The i3 assembly line installed there will be relocated to the Munich plant in January 2026. At that point, ‘all technologies at Plant Munich are then in place to continue rigorous testing of the complete production system,’ initially in the form of pre-series vehicles. Series production of the new BMW i3 is set to commence in the second half of 2026.Although it had been long rumoured, BMW CEO Oliver Zipse officially confirmed the name i3 for the electric saloon in the 3 Series format during a conference call in early November—and also the planned start of series production in the second half of next year. This will be the model internally referred to as NA0, which has long been announced for the Munich headquarters from 2026. Essentially, it is the production version of the Vision Neue Klasse study, which BMW presented at the IAA 2023.Although the Munich plant already produces similarly sized vehicles, such as the 3 Series and 4 Series with internal combustion engines and hybrid powertrains, numerous facilities had to be upgraded to accommodate the company’s new ‘iFACTORY’ production logic. Over the past 18 months, ‘extensive renovations’ have taken place across roughly one-third of the plant’s area. “Old halls were dismantled, and new assembly, logistics, and body shop facilities were built—all while maintaining daily production of up to 1,000 BMW 3 Series and 4 Series vehicles,” the company stated.“Old halls were dismantled, and a new assembly, logistics centre and body shop were built – all while still manufacturing up to 1,000 BMW 3 Series and 4 Series vehicles per day,” says Peter Weber, Head of the BMW Group Plant Munich. “Series production of the new BMW i3 is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026.”bmwgroup.com