The BMW plant in Leipzig is about to undergo the next stage of expansion: the car manufacturer intends to invest a three-digit million sum in the site to make the plant fit for future generations of vehicles. "We are currently preparing our plant for future generations of vehicles," said Plant Manager Petra Peterhänsel at the celebration of the 20th anniversary of production at the Leipzig plant. The funds will be used to "expand and modernize our facilities and structures" in order to ensure the long-term competitiveness of the site.
The plant has been working at full capacity for months and is producing around the clock, emphasized Peterhänsel. Last year, Leipzig had already set a record with more than 246,000 vehicles produced, and BMW is expecting further record figures this year.
The Leipzig plant as a pioneer and driving force
Managing Director Production Milan Nedeljkovic described Leipzig as an important pillar of the global BMW network: among other things, the location stands for "innovation and digitalization" and has repeatedly done pioneering work with projects such as the i3 or the use of hydrogen in logistics. In addition, the plant's connection to the hydrogen core network was recently contractually sealed - a further step towards equipping the site for future energy and production requirements.
BMW celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Leipzig plant on Wednesday, which has been in production since March 2005. According to the Group, almost four million vehicles have rolled off the production line since then. More than 5.6 billion euros have been invested in the site and around 6,680 BMW jobs have been created. Today, a total of more than 11,600 people work at the plant. Leipzig is the only BMW plant in the world where BMW and Mini models are built together on one line - combustion engines, hybrids and fully electric vehicles. With currently up to 1,300 cars per day and 24-hour production in three shifts, the plant is heading for another production record, according to its own figures.
Wish for more e-cars from Leipzig
The Chairman of the Works Council, Jens Köhler, made it clear that he would like to see the plant become even more involved in electromobility in the future. The Mini Countryman is currently the only all-electric vehicle produced in Leipzig.
Political representatives such as Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU) and Leipzig's Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung (SPD) acknowledged the importance of the plant as an economic driver for the city and region.
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