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| Period | Model / event | Plant / location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10. iX3 series production start | BMW iX3, first Neue Klasse series model | Debrecen Hungary | Series production began late October 2025 at the new BEV plant |
| 2026-02. Debrecen second shift | BMW iX3 production rate | Debrecen Hungary | Second shift started February 2026, ahead of the original schedule |
| 2026-03. iX3 customer deliveries Europe | BMW iX3 retail deliveries | Europe first | First customer deliveries in Europe in March 2026 |
| 2026-Q1. iX3 order book Europe | BMW iX3 incoming orders | Europe | Well over 50,000 new orders since ordering opened. More than half of X3 orders were fully electric |
| 2026-04. Munich i3 production plan | BMW i3 sedan, second Neue Klasse model | Munich Germany | 1 April 2026 plant release: series production scheduled to start August 2026. i3 Touring also assigned to Munich. Plant to be all-BEV from 2027 |
| 2026-07. 50,000th iX3 produced | BMW iX3 production milestone | Debrecen Hungary | 50,000th iX3 produced 28 July 2026. Fastest ramp-up of a new BMW Group plant. Orders on track toward 100,000 |
| 2026-H1. iX3 sales momentum | BMW iX3 and Neue Klasse demand | Europe, then other regions | H1 2026 sales release: iX3 deliveries underway. Q2 Group BEV 116,807 units. Europe Q2 BEV 81,445 units. i3 orders opened ahead of launch |
| 2027. Forty new or updated models | Neue Klasse design and technology cascade | Global production network | BMW printed a target of 40 new or updated models by the end of 2027. Individual 2027 to 2028 nameplates are omitted unless BMW prints the plant assignment |
BMW founded in Munich as Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (Bavarian Aircraft Works) building aero engines; pivots to motorcycles 1923 and cars 1928. Roundel logo references its aircraft heritage.
BMW unveils 1602e at Munich Olympics: an early electric prototype using lead-acid batteries with 30 km range. Pioneering but commercially impractical; foreshadows BMW's six-decade EV program.
Series production of BMW i3 begins in Leipzig: BMW's first dedicated EV with carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic body, born of Project i clean-sheet engineering. Years ahead of competitors structurally.
i3 European retail launch in Munich: the model becomes one of Europe's earliest premium EVs and BMW's flagship for sustainability marketing through the late 2010s.
BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car launches with 1.5L turbo + electric motor: a halo product that proves premium PHEV design feasibility but underperforms commercially through 2020 production end.
iX3 (first generation) launches as BMW's first electric SUV: manufactured in China by BMW Brilliance JV. Marks BMW's strategy of shared platforms (Gen5 eDrive on existing X3) for cost-efficient EV expansion.
iX flagship electric SUV begins production at Dingolfing on a new aluminum-and-CFRP body structure: BMW's most technically ambitious EV since i3, with 105 kWh pack and 300+ mile EPA range.
BMW i4 Gran Coupe launches in Munich: BMW's first 3-Series-derived EV and a critical mid-volume electric for premium EV market share against Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2.
i3 production ends after nearly a decade and ~250,000 units: BMW retires its pioneering CFRP city EV and pivots to multi-segment EV portfolio across iX, i4, i5, and i7.
Reveals Vision Neue Klasse concept at IAA Munich: previewing BMW's all-new EV-only architecture with 800V system, round 4695 cells, and 30% range improvement over Gen5 eDrive. Spiritually links back to original 1962 Neue Klasse.
Debrecen, Hungary plant prepares for Neue Klasse production; investment surpasses €2B: BMW's first ground-up EV-only factory in Europe and a strategic Eastern European manufacturing pivot.
Reveals first series-production Neue Klasse model, the all-new BMW iX3, at IAA Munich auto show with up to 805 km WLTP range and 400 kW charging. The most technologically advanced BMW EV ever.
Neue Klasse iX3 begins series production in Debrecen, Hungary: BMW's first EV-dedicated factory in Europe. Production target: 150K units/year scaling, with i3 sedan to follow in 2026.