Source: Gasgoo Author: Ramy
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According to Bloomberg, on the evening of January 9, Tesla stated on the social media platform X that the long-awaited refreshed version of Model 3 is now available in North AmericaAccording to Reuters, on January 10, BMW said it would invest 650 million euros (approximately US$711 million) to transform its main Munich factory and plans to exclusively produce pure electric vehicles at the factory from the end of 2027. Reuters pointed out that this is an important step in BMW’s transition to the electric era.
Image source: BMW
The company will construct four buildings, including a new car assembly line and a body shop, and move its traditional engine manufacturing operations to the U.K. and Austria, with 1,200 employees to be retrained or relocated elsewhere.
In 2023, pure electric vehicles will account for 15% of BMW’s total sales, and this proportion is expected to rise to one-third by 2026. Unlike other carmakers, BMW has not set a goal to stop producing internal combustion engine cars, but it is facing challenges from EU “burn-in” regulations. The sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the EU will be banned from 2035 under the European Union’s “ban on combustion” regulation.
In recent months, carmakers such as Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have warned that sales of electric cars are not growing as fast as expected, as consumers come under financial pressure even as supply chain bottlenecks that have hampered production begin to ease.
At the Munich Motor Show (IAA) in September last year, BMW showcased its “new generation” electric concept car, Vision Neue Klasse. It is reported that the new car is similar in size to BMW’s best-selling model, the BMW 3 Series, and will be produced at the BMW Munich plant at the same time as internal combustion engine models starting in 2026. In addition, BMW will also produce this model at its new plant in Debrecen, Hungary, the Shenyang plant in China, and the San Luis Potosi plant in Mexico.
