BMW Group’s new production plant in Debrecen, Hungary is now producing test vehicles of the upcoming BMW iX3 Neue Klasse model, preparing for full-scale production set to begin in late 2025. Latest photos from Hungary show a series of pre-production iX3 crossover being rolled out.
The Debrecen plant is the newest facility in the global network for BMW and with the latest manufacturing technology. The production processes incorporate proven and tested structural innovations from existing BMW plants. The facility utilizes a refined version of the “finger” or “comb” structure first developed at BMW’s Leipzig plant in 2005, enabling direct and efficient delivery of parts. According to BMW, Debrecen boasts the highest direct-supply ratio in BMW’s production network, with up to 80% of parts arriving directly at the line from both sides.
Further inspiration came from BMW’s Plant Lydia in China, the group’s first entirely virtually planned plant, opened in 2022. Debrecen replicated Lydia’s assembly line layout and conveyor systems, facilitating rapid deployment of proven technologies.
A digital quality-check system, currently implemented in Debrecen, allows quality assessments directly on the production line. Following its debut in Hungary, this system will be expanded to other BMW facilities, beginning with the Munich plant in 2026, which will build the BMW i3 Neue Klasse sedan.
The Debrecen plant will also be the first BMW automobile facility operating entirely without fossil fuels in its regular production cycle. As the launch of the new iX3 approaches, BMW Group plans a gradual increase in production capacity. First units are expected to be delivered in Europe by the end of the year while the U.S. market will have to wait until Spring 2026.
