Production of MINI Countryman Electric starts in Leipzig

Just four months after kickstarting production of the combustion-powered MINI Countryman, BMW Group Plant Leipzig has now started production of the MINI Countryman Electric.

BMW states that Plant Leipzig has seen extensive additions and upgrades since 2018 to enable it to meet a production target of 350,000 units a year. It additionally expects production output at the plant to rise to almost 500 units a day through 2024, on top of the 800 or so BMW vehicles the plant is producing.

The use of flexible assembly structures means that different drive units can all be produced on one and the same line in aggregate assembly at BMW Plant Leipzig

The plant has also increased is e-component production capacity since 2021, so it is now able to manufacture both the high-voltage batteries for the MINI Countryman Electric, as well as the e-components for models including the BMW iX1, BMW iX2, BMW i4, BMW i5 and the BMW iX.

It has additionally also seen the conversion of spaces previously used for the production of the BMW i3 and i8 converted to house two production lines capable of producing up to 300,000 high-voltage batteries a year.

BMW Plant Leipzig is expected to employ close to 7,000 staff by the end of 2024 to meet this new production demand, and nightshifts in assembly are set to start there for the first time in September 2024, allowing cars to be produced around the clock in three shifts.

BMW Plant Leipzig now manufactures four models with three drive types by two brands, all on a single production line. These include the BMW 1 Series, the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer (including the plug-in hybrid version), the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe and the MINI Countryman, in both its fully electric and combustion-powered versions.