BMW has successfully finished constructing new facilities at its Austrian plant in Steyr, intended for the future production of New Class electric drive systems. The company is now initiating the setup of the plant, with pre-series production scheduled to commence in July.
Approximately 300 machines and production facilities need to be installed in the coming months to ensure the timely start of pre-series production, according to BMW. The investment in electric drives at the Steyr site by the BMW Group is projected to reach around one billion euros by 2030. The Steyr plant is anticipated to produce over 600,000 drive systems annually, running in parallel with diesel and petrol engines.
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The decision to produce the sixth generation of BMW electric drives in Steyr was made in June 2022, with preparations initiated in December of the same year to adapt existing production areas and create new spaces for electric drive components.
Two newly completed structures, a two-storey production hall and a logistics hall, now stand at the Steyr plant. The production hall will house two assembly lines for electric drives, encompassing transmission components and power electronics.
For the upcoming generation of electric drives, BMW is consolidating most drive components at the Steyr location. This includes the manufacturing of the housing, rotor, stator, gearbox, and inverter. The drives produced here will be installed in the New Class vehicles, scheduled for production in Debrecen from 2025 and in Munich from 2026.
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The Steyr plant currently supplies housings for the fifth generation of drives, which are installed in the current electric vehicle models. Meanwhile, assembly for the existing model series occurs at BMW’s drive production facility in Dingolfing. As production of the current series will continue alongside the New Class for several more years, Steyr will continue producing housings for Dingolfing. BMW’s total annual production capacity is expected to exceed 500,000 drive systems in Bavaria and an additional 600,000 units in Steyr.
According to BMW, the 300 production machines include custom-built machines, presenting a challenge due to their diverse nature. Helmut Hochsteiner, Head of Electric Drivetrains at the BMW Group site in Steyr, emphasized that the construction and installation of the production facility are proceeding according to plan.
Series production of e-drives for the Neue Klasse is anticipated to launch in the autumn of 2025, reinforcing BMW’s commitment to electric mobility. The company had recently ceased combustion engine production at its main plant in Munich, redirecting focus toward the production of electric drives for a sustainable future.
