BMW has officially started production of its new 5 Series in Dingolfing, including the new i5 electric model. This is the third all-electric BMW that production has started at the plant in Lower Bavaria in the past two years, the Munich-based automaker said. The largest European BMW plant is in Dingolfing, and according to the company, the proportion of purely electric vehicles in production is expected to increase to over 40 percent in the coming year.
“From 2021 to 2024 we will have integrated a total of 15 all-electric vehicles into our production network,” explained Production Director Milan Nedeljković.
BMW launched an electric car early in 2013 with the i3. Since the i3 was expensive for a small car and sold poorly in the first few years, no new electric model came onto the market for years afterwards. In the meantime, given the competition from Tesla and China, there are fears that the German car industry as a whole may have missed the train of the times. BMW, like other German manufacturers, has started catching up.
In view of the fears of German industry moving abroad due to costs, Nedeljković emphasized that Bavaria should remain an important location. “And with all the internationalization that is necessary to be able to grow in a globally balanced way, Bavaria remains an important pillar of the BMW Group and its production network,” said the manager.
