BMW plant in Munich completed equipment tests for i3 production

The BMW Group plant in Munich has completed functional tests of production equipment for the new BMW i3. As the company announced on December 18, equipment was installed at the plant in the new body shop and on the assembly line, and testing of production systems was conducted in "dry run" mode.

What is known

Functional tests included performing all production operations without parts in the system. Production planners and plant technical specialists checked the equipment cycle by cycle.

Peter Weber, head of the BMW Group plant in Munich, stated that all equipment is ready for operation. The company has already begun personnel training.

In January next year, BMW will move the assembly of the i3 from the Research and Innovation Center to the plant in Munich. Series production of the new BMW i3 will start in the summer of 2026.

The new body shop and assembly line were designed and built using digital technologies from the very beginning, and the existing stamping and painting shops were integrated into BMW Group's virtual factory. This allowed functional testing of technologies in a virtual format even before production began.

The Munich plant completed reconstruction of about one-third of the area in 18 months. The old buildings were dismantled, and a new assembly hall, logistics center, and body shop were built while the plant continued producing up to 1,000 BMW 3 Series and 4 Series cars daily.

Source: BMW