BMW Group Plant Leipzig celebrates 20 years of production

On 1 March 2005, BMW Group Plant Leipzig began producing the fifth-generation BMW 3 Series Sedan. Since then, some 3.75 million cars have rolled off its production lines, with the BMW Group investing more than five billion euros in the site.

Currently, the plant manufactures four models with three different types of drive by two different brands: the BMW 1 Series, BMW 2 Series Active Tourer (including the plug-in hybrid version) and BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, and the MINI Countryman in both its fully electric and conventionally powered variants. Since 2005, there have been 20 different product launches of BMWs and MINIs from the plant, with an output of 1,300 units per day.

When the plant was in planning, output was expected to be 650 units per day. 20 years down the line, that number has doubled

The plant's central building, designed by the renowned Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, was awarded the German Architecture Prize in 2005. Plant Leipzig was also the first in the world to feature a 'finger' arrangement in the production hall, allowing extensions to be added as needed and for new assembly stations to be integrated easily without having to rebuild the line from scratch.

Often playing a pioneering role within the BMW Group production network, Plant Leipzig's first upgrade was the addition of a new press shop, which went into operation in 2009 and incorporated the first high-speed servo press in the world. This allowed for the production of pressed parts with unprecedented speed and efficiency. By 2014, three additional large-scale presses and two coil systems for body panel had also been installed, completing its press shop upgrade.

With some 6,800 BMW employees and more than 11,000 people based locally, Plant Leipzig is a major contributor to the economy and a key employer in the region

Plant Leipzig was also the first to produce the BMW Group's first fully electric vehicle. Between 2013 and 2022, more than 250,000 all-electric BMW i3 vehicles rolled off the production line. The BMW i8 followed a year later as the BMW Group's first plug-in hybrid. In 2021, Plant Leipzig launched e-component manufacturing for high-voltage battery production, and since the start of the MINI Countryman Electric's production in March 2024, has carried out the entire process of high-voltage battery manufacturing for the fifth generation of batteries. These will be used in the MINI Countryman Electric and fully electric BMW models at various BMW Group sites.

Currently, Plant Leipzig is undergoing further extensions and upgrades in preparation for forthcoming models.