BMW is not missing any opportunities to hype up its long-awaited Neue Klasse platform. The luxury brand will enter a new era of electric vehicles in 2025 when an X3-sized SUV will begin to roll off the assembly line at the factory in Debrecen. Although the Hungarian factory won’t be fully operational until next year, more and more employees are joining the staff.
There are already more than 1,000 people employed at the new site. The central Communication Centre is up and running, mirroring the layout of the building BMW implemented at the German plant in Leipzig. This is a two-story facility that’s approximately 19,000 square meters (nearly 205,000 square feet) in size, with half of the space reserved for offices.
To the right of the building is the body shop while the assembly line is positioned to the left. BMW intends to start pre-series production in 2024 before making customer cars from next year. Reports state series production of the iX3 replacement is programmed to start in July 2025. Within the massive facility is a Health Center spanning 700 square meters (7,534 square feet), along with a restaurant for the staff and a laboratory for paint quality – all of which are on the ground floor. The upper floor is reserved for offices.
The Debrecen Plant will lead the way for Neue Klasse-based EVs, which will also be produced in Munich from 2026 when an electric 3 Series Sedan will come to life. Additional models are going to be assembled in Mexico at the San Luis Potosi factory and in China at the Shenyang factory operated by the local BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA) joint venture. The company’s design center in Shanghai is working on China-specific cars.
BMW intends to have at least six NK-based models on the market by 2028. Only the identities of the SUV and sedan have been confirmed so far but we’re hearing there could also be a 3 Series Touring and an electric iX4. M versions are reportedly in the pipeline as well for these four models.
Source: BMW
