To mark the 20th anniversary of the BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd. (BBA) joint venture, Milan Nedeljković, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Production, announced local production of the NEUE KLASSE in China. Following the market launch in 2025, models of the next vehicle generation will also be produced from 2026 onwards by BBA in Shenyang.
The high-voltage batteries required for this will likewise be manufactured locally. The virtual ground-breaking for a new assembly site for high-voltage batteries also took place as part of the anniversary celebrations.
BBA is investing RMB 10 billion (US$1.4 billion) in the new location, which will produce battery cells for the next, sixth-generation of high-voltage batteries from 2026 onwards. The “Sixth-Generation Battery Project” will play a key role in production of vehicles for the NEUE KLASSE and create around 2,000 new jobs in the region.
“From a small assembly facility with a limited number of units, our plants in Shenyang have developed into our largest production location worldwide. Today, 20 years after our joint venture’s initial start of production, I am delighted to announce local production of the NEUE KLASSE in China. Integration of the NEUE KLASSE into our production in China goes hand in hand with construction of a high-voltage battery assembly for the next, sixth generation of batteries and will make a significant contribution to further electrification of our lineup and, therefore, to our success as a company”, states Milan Nedeljković
The BMW Group has had a presence in the Chinese market since 1994 and founded the BMW Brilliance Automotive joint venture in May 2003. Over the past 20 years, the BMW Group has continuously expanded its activities in China, and production capacity in Shenyang has increased from 30,000 to 830,000 units. BBA currently produces seven model ranges, with fully-electric, plug-in hybrid and internal combustion engines.
The BMW Group’s next model generation, the NEUE KLASSE, will embody all three pillars of future mobility: electric, digital and circular.
Integration of the NEUE KLASSE in China and construction of battery factories for the sixth generation are further milestones, as the BMW Group systematically aligns its production network for electromobility. More than half the vehicles the BMW Group sells worldwide should be fully electric before 2030.
At present, the BMW Group produces electronic components and high-voltage batteries for its current electric vehicles at its German sites in Dingolfing, Leipzig and Regensburg, as well as at the Shenyang location in China.