IT House reported on March 12 that just in January this year, BMW announced that it would add a second shift of production at the Debrecen plant in Hungary. Now BMWblog has learned that this shift has been officially put into operation. Since the BMW iX3 debuted in September last year, the model has accounted for one-third of all electric car orders in Europe.
Adding a second shift well ahead of schedule in a brand new factory is a complex undertaking. When the plant is at full capacity, its annual output can reach 150,000 vehicles.
Initially, the standard wheelbase version of the iX3 (NA5) will be produced only at the Debrecen plant. This first new generation (Neue Klasse) model is also expected to be put into production in Mexico, with the San Luis Potosi plant expected to start production in mid-2027. At the same time, the long-wheelbase version of iX3 (NA6) will be put into production in China this year and exported to markets such as India, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.
IT House noticed that the standard wheelbase version of iX3 has started delivery in Europe a few days ago and will land in the United States later this summer. Who is buying this electric SUV? Outgoing chief executive Oliver Zipzer said both private users and corporate fleet customers were rushing to order. It is worth noting that the second-generation iX3 also attracted many consumers who had never purchased a BMW before.
Zipzer said that although the iX3 has not yet been completely sold out, orders have been scheduled for this year. BMW is pleased to say that market demand has exceeded the company's expectations. Currently, there is only one configuration of 50 xDrive on sale, and more user-friendly versions will be launched soon: 40 and 40 xDrive are expected to be launched in Europe by the end of this year. The more powerful iX3 M60 will also be launched, followed later in 2027 by the more powerful X3 M.
BMW has kicked off the renaissance of a new generation of models with an SUV, but car fans will not be ignored. The new i3 will be unveiled on March 18 and will go into production in the second half of this year. This electric sedan will not be produced on the same line as the iX3, but will be manufactured at the Munich plant where BMW is headquartered. In order to free up production capacity for the i3, BMW will transfer the production of the 3 Series to the Dingolfing plant. The new 3 Series, codenamed "G50", will be put into production at the end of this year.
