BMW makes Mini fully electric

This story first appeared in the May issue of EVTalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

BMW will build its first fully electric Mini in 2019, the German automaker has confirmed.

It will be followed by the fully electric BMW X3 which will be manufactured at its Leipzig plant in 2020 and the BMW iNEXT from its Dingolfing plant in 2021.

Several legacy automakers dabbling in electrification rely on third-party suppliers to manufacture electric vehicle components, electric reports. For example, LG is making almost all the parts that make GM’s Chevy Bolt EV an electric car.

But BMW aims to incorporate more of the parts in its own manufacturing capacity, BMW Group management board member Oliver Zipse says.

“We will begin producing the fully electric BMW iNEXT here at our Dingolfing plant in 2021,” he says.
“This decision will further strengthen our German production locations, which, with their innovation capabilities, play a leading role all across our production network.

“In the area of electro-mobility, in particular, our aim is to ensure end-to-end systems expertise within the company.”

The Leipzig plant, where BMW produces its only all-electric vehicle, the BMW i3, will remain the assembly plant for the German automaker’s current generation of electric vehicles to which the all-electric Mini and BMW X3 SUV will be added.

The Dingolfing plant will focus on the next generation of iNEXT electric vehicles. It already makes components such as high-voltage batteries and electric motors for BMW’s current EVs.

BMW Group Plant Dingolfing head Dr Andreas Wendt says that with its pure-electric drivetrain, larger dimensions and new technologies such as autonomous driving and digital connectivity, the BMW iNEXT will be a real innovation driver.

“This year we will be celebrating BMW’s 50th anniversary in Lower Bavaria. For me, the BMW iNEXT clearly signals the start of a new era and our intention to make the next 50 years just as successful.”