This milestone is significant for the automaker on its journey to electrification.
BMW Group Plant Munich has officially rolled out the first series-produced BMW I4. Automaker’s original home plant, almost 100 years old, now produces all variants of the drive on one assembly line. This is an important milestone in BMW’s journey to electrification.
Milan Nedeljkovic (BMW AG Board Member for Production) said, “The launch of the BMW i4 represents a significant milestone in the road towards electric mobility.” “By 2023, more than half of all vehicles coming from the Munich facility will be equipped with an electrified drive. Most of them will be fully-electric. Munich will be fully electric.
The new model can use 90 percent of the systems from the Munich bodyshop, but additional machines and techniques were needed to integrate the high-voltage batteries. The release stated that the integration required an investment of 200million euros, or approximately $233 million at current exchange rates.
Digitalization of the plant was also done, with 3D scans being used to get a complete set of digital data. The structure of all major BMW Group car plants will have been scanned by 2022. Digital data will then be available to everyone.
BMW also revealed its sustainability plans, besides digitalization. To reduce its water consumption by six millions liters, the company announced its use of reverse osmosis. The automaker has also set a new goal: for local emissions from Transport Logistics at Plant Munich to slowly fall to zero in the coming years.
BMW also announced that the four-cylinder engine production would be moved to Hams Hall in the UK and Steyr, Austria, by the end the year. The complete relocation of engine production from Munich to Steyr, Austria will be completed by 2024.