BMW stops production of internal combustion engines in Germany

On November 10, 2023, BMW produced the last internal combustion engine at its Munich plant. This is due to the fact that BMW has decided to stop producing internal combustion engines in Germany, but they will continue to be produced in European countries.

In particular, the Bavarians decided to move production to factories in Austria and the UK, while the Munich plant will be ready to be reconfigured to be able to produce electric cars. This decision was announced back in November 2020. At the time, the German automaker said its 8- and 12-cylinder engines would be assembled at Hams Hall in the UK, and smaller engines at Steyr in Austria. According to the German publication BR24, The last internal combustion engine produced at the Munich plant was the V8, which rolled off the assembly line on November 10.

Approximately 1,200 employees at the Munich plant will either be retrained and reassigned to other positions or will work at other BMW sites. However, unlike competitors, BMW has not made any announcements regarding when it will stop producing thermal models, as it does not seem to believe that a full switch to electric propulsion is feasible before 2030. Therefore, it will continue to produce both thermal and electrical kits, which will be supplied to most markets.

The Munich plant oversees production of the electric i4 from October 2021 and will also be where future electric vehicles from Neue Klasse will come to life. According to the BMW blog, other electric cars that will be assembled in Munich will be the i3, i3 Touring and the second version of the i4. BMW has confirmed that it will launch six Neue Klasse electric vehicles between 2025 and 2027.

But these are not the only electric models that the brand produces (or will produce) in Germany. The iX, i5 and i7 are produced in Dingolfing, while the iX1 and iX2 are produced in Regensburg. In addition, BMW plans to create a large battery assembly plant in Strasskirchen.

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