BMW will invest €200mn ($213mn) in its Landshut plant to expand manufacturing facilities for the central housings of electric drive units to be fitted in its Neue Klasse BEV range models.
Annual production capacity for fifth and sixth generation aluminium housings will increase by around 30pc. Neue Klasse BEVs, the first of which are due for launch next year, “will therefore benefit from the knowhow of the company’s largest component manufacturing site”, BMW says.
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Around half of a c.€1bn BMW has invested at Landshut since 2020 has been on expansions into e-mobility.
“We are continuously expanding our site’s expertise in both the production of our cutting-edge components and the development of new technologies,” says Thomas Thym, the plant’s head. “This skillset provides us with the flexibility we are going to need in the future.”
A new production hall is currently being built that will house two production lines using a pioneering injector casting process. Injector casting ensures that parts are cast with optimum mechanical properties and also shortens the cycle time — “reducing energy consumption considerably while also cutting carbon emissions due to the lower casting temperature,” BMW says.
In January, BMW purchased a c.30,000m2 plot of land directly adjacent to Landshut, which has been earmarked for further expansion of production in the future. A final decision on how exactly the new land is to be used will be made at a later date.
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