BMW is preparing its Leipzig plant for new electric cars this summer

Anyone driving a new electric BMW in the future might get it from Saxony. The BMW plant in Leipzig is currently preparing for the so-called “New Class”—the company’s next generation of fully electric vehicles. To this end, the factory is set to undergo renovations for several weeks this summer.

Plant to Be Remodeled for New Generation of Vehicles

“We’re preparing for the ‘New Class,’” said plant manager Petra Peterhänsel. During a 5.5-week production shutdown, the plant will undergo extensive modifications. This is due to new technical requirements for the upcoming generation of vehicles.

BMW has not specified exactly which models will be built in Leipzig in the future. Peterhänsel said the conversion would fundamentally enable the plant to produce vehicles of the “New Class.”

From the i3 to the “New Class”

The plant is considered one of the pioneers of electric mobility in Germany. Production of the all-electric BMW i3 began in Leipzig as early as 2013. Today, only one purely electric vehicle—the Mini Countryman—rolls off the assembly line there. Works council chairman Jens Köhler had already expressed his hope at the end of last year that Leipzig would play a greater role in the production of electric cars in the future.

Millions Invested in the Plant

BMW announced at the end of 2025 that it would invest a three-digit million amount in the plant. According to the company, the funds will go toward modernizing facilities and preparing for future vehicle generations. More than 11,600 people now work at the Leipzig plant.

Eastern Germany is betting on electric mobility

This expansion is taking place at a time when electric mobility is becoming increasingly important for the East German auto industry. According to calculations by the Automotive Cluster Ostdeutschland (ACOD), around 60 percent of all cars produced in eastern Germany last year were fully electric vehicles. Nationwide, the share was just over 40 percent. In addition to the Tesla plant in Brandenburg and the Volkswagen plant in Zwickau, BMW and Porsche in Leipzig are also among the region’s most important electric vehicle production sites.

For BMW, the “New Class” marks the next step in the expansion of electric mobility. With this restructuring, the Leipzig plant is laying the groundwork to play a greater role in this development in the future.