BMW prepares production of the all-electric Mini Countryman in Leipzig

In 2023, the new Mini Countryman production will begin at the BMW Group plant in Leipzig. The crossover model will be offered with pure electric drive and combustion engines. Preparations for the start of production of the first Mini ‘Made in Germany’ are already in full swing.

According to BMW, Leipzig is one of the most modern and sustainable automotive factories in the world. Moreover, as the company’s pilot project for establishing a “green plant”, a long-term, sustainable energy generation and consumption strategy come into play here.

“We are delighted to be able to hand over the first Mini ‘Made in Germany’ to our customers in a CO2-neutral manner thanks to the plant’s sustainable energy supply. In this way, the new all-electric Mini Countryman demonstrates what the brand stands for: an electrified go-kart feeling and a strong focus on a minimal environmental footprint,” says Stefanie Wurst, Head of Mini.

Leipzig

The new Mini Countryman comes off the production line in Leipzig together with the BMW 1 Series, BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé, and BMW 2 Series Active Tourer. This makes the location the first plant at which vehicles of the BMW and Mini brands are manufactured together, demonstrating its flexibility. A core workforce of 5 600 employees produces around 1 000 cars daily.

Electromobility

The expansion of electromobility is part of the BMW Group’s sustainability strategy. Today, one in five Mini models is already electrified. The next major milestone is the production of the new Countryman, which will roll off the production line in Leipzig at the end of this year. The all-electric Countryman’s high-voltage batteries will come from the plant’s production facilities.

To this end, the BMW Group is expanding its capacities for E-component production at the Leipzig site by eight production lines by 2024 and investing more than €800 million. The future production area of 150 000 m2, on which E-components will be manufactured, represents a sustainable investment in the future viability of the Leipzig plant. Furthermore, by 2024, more than 1 000 employees will be employed in E-component production.

Sustainable with green hydrogen

Part of the energy required for automotive production can be generated by four wind turbines 190 meters high directly on the Leipzig plant site. In 2021, 21,9 GWh of electricity was generated from wind power. This corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of over 5 000 (3-person) households. Since 2017, the electricity generated can be temporarily stored in the battery storage farm in up to 700 high-voltage batteries from BMW i3 models.

“Our Leipzig vision is the complete decarbonization of production by replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen,” emphasizes Plant Director Petra Peterhaensel. “At the BMW Group plant in Leipzig, we are the first automotive plant in the world to use a newly developed burner technology in our paint shop that can use green hydrogen instead of natural gas.”

“Hydrogen has already been used in plant logistics since 2013. Today, five hydrogen filling stations provide energy for over 130 fuel cell-powered industrial trucks, the largest fleet in Germany,” she continues.

As the brand’s largest model, the all-electric Countryman leads the new Mini family into locally emission-free electromobility. The planned transformation to an all-electric brand by 2030 begins with this model generation.

The manufacturer stresses that thanks to space-saving components such as the very flat high-voltage battery, also produced at the BMW Group Plant Leipzig, the Countryman will offer additional space and better comfort in the future.