- Series production of the fully electric BMW iX3 will begin in late October 2025 at Plant Debrecen.
- The facility operates entirely on renewable electricity, significantly reducing production emissions.
- On-site assembly of Gen6 high-voltage batteries enables up to 805km range and 30% faster charging.
BMW’s brand-new plant in Debrecen, Hungary, is about to go live.
From late October, the factory will begin series production of the fully electric BMW iX3: the first model in the marque’s Neue Klasse era. Board member Milan Nedeljković calls it “a new dimension in efficient production without fossil fuels,” reflecting BMW’s iFactory vision of digital-first, low-impact manufacturing.
The Debrecen facility is the company’s first car plant powered entirely by renewable electricity during normal operations. Even its notoriously energy-hungry paint shop runs on power-to-heat systems instead of gas.
That, BMW says, cuts plant-related CO₂e per vehicle (including its high-voltage battery) by roughly 90% - to about 34 kg - compared with similar facilities. Overall production emissions for the new iX3 sit at around 80kg CO₂e, about two-thirds less than previous derivatives.
Inside the iFactory
Planned and tested as a “virtual factory” before a single spade hit the ground, Debrecen boasts some of BMW’s most advanced kit. Roughly 1000 industrial robots choreograph the body shop, while AI-driven quality control checks every operation in real time.
The plant also debuts Gen6 high-voltage battery assembly on site under BMW’s “local for local” principle, trimming transport distances and speeding up production. These batteries promise more than 20 per cent higher energy density and up to 30% faster charging than before, with the iX3 50 xDrive claiming up to 805km of range and adding about 372km in ten minutes on an 800V charger.
Logistics have gone fully electric too. Autonomous tugger trains haul the freshly built batteries straight to the line, while a “finger structure” layout lets 80% of parts arrive directly at the correct assembly point. The result is fewer touchpoints, shorter lead times and less clutter on the shop floor.
Rolling out a blueprint for BMW’s future
Debrecen will serve as a template for BMW, as the company plans to spread the Neue Klasse technologies across 40 new models and updates by 2027.
For now, the iX3 is the opening act. Capacity will ramp up gradually after launch, but the bones of the operation, including renewable energy, digital twins, AI quality checks and on-site battery production, are already in place.
As plant chief Hans-Peter Kemser puts it, BMW has “simplified processes, reduced complexity and systematically leveraged expertise across our global network” to build a car (and a factory) fit for its next generation.
