BMW starts construction of €800m high-voltage battery plant in Mexico

Aerial view of BMW’s plant at San Luis Potosí in Mexico, with the planned new areas of the facility outlined in blue (Image courtesy of BMW Group)

The new facility, which will cover an area of more than 80,000 sq m will allow BMW to integrate production of its Neue Klasse family of electric vehicles at the site in San Luis Potosí.

In addition to the location in San Luis Potosí, assembly sites for sixth-generation high-voltage batteries are also being built in Debrecen (Hungary), Shenyang (China), Woodruff, near Spartanburg (USA) and Irlbach-Straßkirchen (Lower Bavaria). All of them will sit close to BWM’s vehicle plants.

The BMW Group will use its newly developed round cells for the first time in the Neue Klasse, which promise to boost the energy density of cells by 20%, charging speed by up to 30% and range by 30%.

As well as integrating battery assembly, other changes at the San Luis Potosí plant will include adding just under 20,000 sq m to the body shop and expanding the assembly and logistics area by almost 10,000 sq m.

The BMW Group plant in San Luis Potosí started production in 2019. Around 3,700 employees currently produce the BMW 3 Series Sedan as well as the BMW 2 Series Coupé and the BMW M2 models for the global market. The Neue Klasse will be produced there from 2027 onwards, once construction works are complete.