Where will future high-voltage batteries be manufactured?

BMW is investing in the production of high-voltage batteries for its future generation of 100% electric cars, with 5 new battery factories worldwide.

BMW’s future Neue Klasse generation of fully electric models is strategic for the German car group: its success will largely depend on the performance of its high-voltage batteries. This is why BMW is investing heavily in its battery production network, with 5 new factories in the world.

New battery and electric vehicle production plants

BMW’s new generation of all-electric “Neue Klasse” cars will be the first to be equipped with new cylindrical battery cells. These offer significantly improved energy density, charging times and range.
BMW’s high-voltage batteries will be assembled in factories located as close as possible to the vehicle manufacturing sites in order to optimize logistics time and costs. To achieve this, BMW is currently building state-of-the-art assembly plants for its sixth-generation high-voltage batteries: they will be located in Irlbach-Strasskirchen (Lower Bavaria, Germany), Debrecen (Hungary), Woodruff (near the Spartanburg plant, USA), Shenyang (China) and San Luis Potosí (Mexico).
This strategy, dubbed “local for local” internally, will allow production to continue even in the event of unforeseen events that could impact production, whether political or economic, while reducing the carbon footprint of production thanks to shorter distances between battery factories and vehicle factories.

The production schedule of future BMWs

At the same time, the BMW Group is also modernizing its existing factories to make them more efficient, while ensuring and creating jobs locally. The first vehicles of the New class and their batteries will be produced at the BMW plant in Debrecen, Hungaryfrom the second half of 2025.
From 2026, the next generation of BMW’s fully electric vehicles and their batteries will also be manufactured in Shenyang, Chinethrough the joint venture between BMW and Brilliance: BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA). In China, the BMW Group has also set up its largest R&D network outside Germany, with locations in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang and Nanjing.
Also in 2026, battery production could begin in Woodruff, near Spartanburg, UNITED STATESand will lead to the creation of more than 300 new jobs on site. In 2027, this will be Mexicoin San Luis Potosi, that BMW will begin production of its new electric cars and high-voltage batteries for the South American market.

BMW will then be the first group to manufacture 100% electric cars and high-voltage batteries in Mexico.