BMW has begun producing the first pre-series vehicles of its upcoming all-electric i3 sedan at its Munich plant, marking a key milestone in preparations for series production scheduled to start in the second half of 2026.
The move signals the start of trial operations on newly installed production lines dedicated to BMW’s Neue Klasse generation of battery-electric vehicles. While the iX3 will be the first Neue Klasse model to enter series production from BMW’s new factory in Debrecen, Hungary, the i3 will be the first electric vehicle from the Neue Klasse range to roll out of an existing, fully retrofitted BMW plant.
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The Munich facility, which already produces the 3 Series and 4 Series with combustion and hybrid powertrains, has undergone extensive upgrades over the past 18 months as part of BMW’s ‘iFACTORY’ production strategy. Around one-third of the plant has been converted for electric vehicle manufacturing while normal operations continued.
BMW confirmed in December 2025 that the site was ready for pre-series builds. The start of trial production now allows the carmaker to validate assembly processes, logistics flows and digital systems under real-world conditions, even though volumes remain low.
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“With the completion of the new production and logistics areas at the plant, vehicles now pass through all production steps on-site,” BMW said, adding that all logistics processes, material flows and workflows must already function seamlessly during this phase.
The electric sedan, internally designated NA0, revives the i3 nameplate previously used for BMW’s compact electric car built in Leipzig. The Munich-built i3 will be followed by an estate variant, expected to be marketed as the i3 Touring.
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“The production of pre-series vehicles is a significant milestone for our plant,” said Peter Weber, head of BMW Group Plant Munich. “For the first time, we have manufactured a BMW i3 entirely at our facility—using cutting-edge production technology and digitally networked processes.”
BMW said insights from the pre-series phase will be used to further refine production, logistics and quality checks ahead of the full production launch, as the company ramps up its Neue Klasse electric vehicle strategy.
