The factory will make the brand’s next generation of electric powertrains
This Austrian facility is where about half of the combustion engines used in BMW and Mini products are currently made
Major refurbishment works will be undertaken to make the factory suitable for the production of electric motors
BMW is preparing to add more electric models to its lineup and in order to have enough electric motors and powertrains, it has now announced a 1 billion Euro refurbishment plan for its engine factory in Steyr, Austria that will stretch until 2030.
The Steyr plant is one of the most important facilities for the company since it produces about half of the gasoline and diesel engines that are used in BMW and Mini models around the world on its own.
In order to keep the factory operating in the future, it will have to be adapted to the production of the company’s next-generation electric drivetrains.
To do so, BMW will proceed with a plan that will see certain areas of the factory refurbished and a number of new buildings constructed. This is reported to be the largest investment this facility has seen since it opened in 1979.
When the work is done, the factory will house two new production lines that will build the stators, the rotors, the inverters, and the transmissions that are used in electric powertrains.
This will reportedly be enough to supply 600,000 EVs with their drivetrains each year and it will employ about 50% of the current workforce of 4,400 by the end of the decade.
The automaker has yet to reveal more details about its next-gen EV powertrains, including which models will use it, but there is a possibility that the Neue-Klasse electric sedan arriving in 2025 could be the first vehicle to be powered by the motors made in Steyr.
