BMW is gearing up to launch production of its ‘Neue Klasse’ series of vehicles. In September, at the IAA, the iX3 will be launched as the first vehicle of this class. To meet nearly the entire global demand for electric drives, BMW’s factory in Steyr was upgraded to produce both combustion engines and electric drives. It has now been revealed that BMW has set up only two production lines for this purpose, compared to 13 lines for ICE production.
It was previously known that the BMW engine plant in Steyr would produce over 600,000 electric drives per year for the ‘Neue Klasse’ electric cars. The German publication Automobilwoche now provided further details, citing production planning at the Steyr plant.
Steyr is where BMW developed the electric drive system for the ‘Neue Klasse’ vehicles, as well as manufacturing all electric drives for vehicles from BMW, except for the Chinese market.
Two versions of the current-excited synchronous motors (SSM) will be produced on the first ‘Neue Klasse’ line: one for vehicles with rear-wheel drive and one all-wheel drive version. For the two versions of the SSM drive on line 1, BMW expects 200,000 units per year after the ramp-up.
The PSM drive (permanent magnet synchronous motor) is produced on line 2. 400,000 units per year for the PSM drive are planned on line 2.BMW had introduced the sixth generation of its high-voltage battery and drive in February of this year, with the statement that drive production would start in Steyr this summer.
Dear prudence
Factory manager Klaus von Moltke, who took over the lead of the facility in late 2022, explained why the factory was not committing to vehicle electrification in a larger style: “Our job is to go through all possible scenarios, prepare for each scenario and ensure that we are able to deliver.”
He claims that this would keep the German company in a better position to react to market demands and dynamics in terms of electric vehicle technology versus internal combustion engines, although the manager also admitted that he would prefer both in his talk to Automobilwoche.
Vehicle production for the Neue Klasse started at BMW’s plant in Hungary in March, producing test vehicles for the first model of the ‘Neue Klasse’ since November 2024, which will be the iX3 as already mentioned.
BMW plans to introduce the production model in September 2025 at the IAA Mobility in Munich. Just last month, more technical details surrounding the iX3 were also released ahead of the presentation, such as a fast-charging capacity of up to 400 kW.
