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Four months after production began on the combustion-engined MINI Countryman, the all-electric version will now join it in production at Leipzig. The plant has phased out production of the BMW i3 and the birthplace of electric mobility within BMW Group has welcomed another fully electric car to its range.
To enable production of up to 350,000 units per year Plant Leipzig has been continuously upgraded since 2018, with extensive additions and upgrades to the bodyshop, paintshop, assembly lines, and logistics. The MINI Countryman is the main driving force behind these volume increases with output expected to rise to almost 500 units per day, on top of the 800 BMW vehicles the plant is already producing.
“We are in the middle of the transformation to e-mobility,” said Markus Fallböhmer, Head of Battery Production at the BMW Group. “Starting this year, Plant Leipzig will carry out every stage of our in-house high-voltage battery production process. It’s our next great step forwards.”
The e-component production capacity at Plant Leipzig has been steadily increasing since 2021 and it will now manufacture the high-voltage batteries for the MINI Countryman Electric but also other e-components for the BMW iX1, BMW iX2, BMW i4, BMW i5, and BMW iX.
Leipzig is to decarbonise production as far as possible by replacing fossil fuels with green hydrogen,” said Petra Peterhänsel, explaining the long-term focus of the facility. This will require sufficient green hydrogen from a grid. A regional hydrogen grid is currently in planning, with Plant Leipzig set to benefit.
Elsewhere at the plant, a new overspray-free method is being utilised to paint the Countryman which saves the mist of excess paint particles from forming. This makes it easier to paint in multiple colours as masking is no longer required and it also helps to save CO2 emissions as exhaust from the cabin requires less cleaning. It also needs less conditioned air which results in less energy being needed to temper air and treat exhaust.
“Our vision at Plant Leipzig is to decarbonise production as far as possible by replacing fossil fuels with green hydrogen,” said Petra Peterhänsel, explaining the long-term focus of the facility.
