It has only been a few weeks since the first photos of the all-new BMW X2 went around the world: Now, it is rolling off the assembly line at BMW Group Plant Regensburg. From now on, different types of drive train will be flexibly manufactured in Regensburg on a single production line – from models with internal combustion engines, to plug-in hybrids, to fully-electric vehicles. Up to 1,000 BMW 1 Series, BMW X1 and BMW X2 models are currently coming off the production line at BMW Group Plant Regensburg every workday – destined for customers worldwide.
“With production of the BMW X2 and its fully-electric variant, the BMW iX2, we continue to set the pace, here in Regensburg, for the ramp-up of electromobility,” confirmed Plant Director Armin Ebner. “That we are now building a second fully-electric model here in Upper Palatinate will boost the site’s production volume.” The plant director underlined everyone is very proud of the new vehicle and the tremendous team effort that went into it: “For our team, today’s start of production is a day of encouragement.” After all, production specialists in Regensburg have done everything possible in the past few months to integrate the new BMW X2 “silently” into ongoing standard production – from the initial prototypes and pre-series, through extensive quality inspections, up to and including comprehensive skills development for the whole manufacturing team.
“Our plant is working at full steam. The additional production volumes mean we are now adding a night shift at the Regensburg location, effective immediately – with three-shift operation going forward,” added Ebner.
By the end of the year, the BMW Group will invest more than 350 million euros in vehicle production in Regensburg, creating permanent jobs for around 500 new employees at the site.
Lean, green, digital: With BMW iFACTORY, the BMW Group is also setting standards and redefining the future of automotive production at the Regensburg location. For example, BMW Group Plant Regensburg is the automotive industry’s first plant worldwide to use an end-to-end digitalised and automated process for inspection, processing and marking of painted vehicle surfaces in standard production that relies on robots controlled by AI (artificial intelligence). For the plant, this represents another step towards the digital, intelligently connected factory.
SOURCE: BMW Group
