BMW Group plans to make its Neue Klasse electric vehicles in Shenyang, Liaoning province from 2026, the German automaker announced. “I am pleased to announce the local production of the Neue Klasse vehicles,” said Milan Nedeljkovic, BMW Board Member for Production, during a news conference at the 20th anniversary of BMW Brilliance Automotive. “The integration of the Neue Klasse into our production portfolio in China is combined with the development of a high-voltage battery assembly site for our sixth-generation battery. This will make a significant contribution to the further electrification of our portfolio,” Nedeljkovic said.
The company said the battery assembly project — with an investment of CNY10 billion – will cover an area of 240,000 square meters, five times the size of its existing battery assembly facilities. Upon operation, the new plant will provide 2,000 jobs. To prepare for the production of Neue Klasse, an extension to BMW’s Shenyang R&D center was officially opened during the anniversary event. Established in 2013, the center primarily focuses on the development, integration and validation of e-mobility technology, as well as product localization. The extension, including 19 new test benches – of which 17 are for e-mobility-related tests – will further boost BMW’s e-mobility development capabilities in China, the group said.
“As an important city in China’s automobile industry, Shenyang is striving to achieve a total output value of CNY400 billion within three years, among which the output value of energy-saving vehicles and parts exceeding CNY100 billion, with new energy vehicles accounting for more than 25%,” said Lyu Zhicheng, Mayor of Shenyang, at the news conference. He said the battery project was not only an important milestone for BMW to accelerate the realization of electrification into a new era, but also the third investment project of CNY10 billion in the field of new energy in Shenyang. This, he added, will help the city speed up the construction of a “national important automobile industry center”.
Lyu said the company had invested nearly CNY100 billion and built BMW Group’s largest production base, the most advanced vehicle factory, the most important energy-saving vehicle center, and the most cutting-edge research and development center (R&D) in Shenyang, which has led to the rapid development of a large number of world-class supporting enterprises. BMW's Shenyang production base has an annual production capacity of 830,000 units. In 2022, BMW Brilliance Automotive’s purchasing value in China exceeded CNY73 billion, of which more than 60% was produced in Liaoning, the China Daily reports.
