BMW’s German plant expands production of electric vehicle parts
According to foreign media reports, BMW said it will invest 500 million euros (approximately US$563 million) in its largest European plant to produce electric vehicle parts. BMW is currently upgrading its electric vehicle manufacturing capabilities to better compete for the market with competitors including Tesla.
On July 2, BMW stated that the company will add eight battery module and electric motor production lines to its plant in Dingolfing, Germany, and that the plant will add another four production lines in the future. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse said that by 2022, the plant will be able to produce motors for more than 500,000 electric vehicles each year.
This factory upgrade is very important to Chiptzer. He needs to prove that through his own strategy, BMW can also produce electric cars that are not inferior to Tesla. BMW has not developed a dedicated platform for electric vehicles, but instead produces internal combustion engine vehicles, hybrid vehicles and pure electric vehicles on the same production line.
In contrast, Volkswagen has adopted a completely different strategy. The company has spent billions of euros to develop a dedicated platform for electric vehicles and has completely renovated its Zwickau plant to make it a dedicated new A factory where technology produces electric cars.
The latest electric motors produced by BMW in Dingolfing and other plants will power the company’s electric vehicles to be launched in the next few years. The first vehicle to use the new technology will be the iX3 SUV, which will be assembled in China. BMW’s flagship iNEXT SUV and i4 electric sedan will be released in 2021, and these two cars will also use the latest technology.
In order to survive the epidemic crisis, Chiptzer also tried to balance investment through cost reduction and other measures. Like other car companies, BMW sales declined between March and May this year, and the company is currently seeking to lay off 6,000 employees. Not long ago, BMW also cancelled its joint venture with Daimler, which aims to develop the next generation of autonomous driving technology.