BMW is building a battery assembly plant in Hungary for its Neue Klasse vehicles. It will be located on the site of the Debrecen vehicle production plant, for which construction was begun about six months ago.
Markus Fallböhmer, BMW’s Senior VP of Battery Production, explains: “The BMW iFACTORY is also about ensuring short distances for logistics. The close link between battery assembly and vehicle production is part of our strategy.”
BMW plans to assemble all batteries for the vehicles from Plant Debrecen onsite at the 140,000-square-meter facility. The sixth-generation round battery cells will be assembled into a metal battery housing which is later integrated into the underbody of the car.
The company aims to create more than 500 jobs and invest over two billion euros in the construction and launch of the entire plant by the end of 2025. BMW is hiring and training in Debrecen. It plans to work with local educational organizations to launch a dual education program in autumn 2023 at its in-house training center.
Production of both vehicles and batteries at the site is slated to begin in 2025.
Source: BMW