Hams Hall, UK. BMW Group’s Hams Hall plant, located in the UK, has reached a major milestone: For exactly 25 years, the plant near Birmingham has produced highly efficient internal combustion engines for a variety of BMW Group vehicle models. More than 7.6 million engines have shipped from Hams Hall since 2001. The facility supplies numerous production sites worldwide with highly efficient petrol engines for the BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands, including drive trains for plug-in hybrid models – making the plant an integral part of the BMW Group’s technology-open approach. Today, Plant Hams Hall produces three and four-cylinder petrol engines to high performance V8 engines, powering vehicles across both BMW and MINI. Separately, the V12 engine is produced at Plant Hams Hall exclusively for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Its assembly follows a distinct, bespoke production process, carried out by specially trained engineers and technicians, before final delivery to the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood.

Plant Hams Hall – an integral part of the global production network

"This anniversary is a special milestone for our site," says Dirk Dreher, Head of the BMW Group's Hams Hall plant. "We are a competitive plant and there’s always been a real passion among our workforce to continually improve our manufacturing processes and site. Building on our strong foundation, we are looking forward to remaining a successful plant in the future."

“The Hams Hall plant is an integral part of our global production network,” explains Harald Gottsche, Head of Engine Production at BMW AG. “The site combines technological expertise with high flexibility. It reliably supplies our vehicle plants with efficient, powerful engines of premium quality. This includes the V12 engine – a masterpiece from Hams Hall!”

61% reduction in energy use per engine built since the start of full production

The British engine plant is systematically implementing the principles of the BMW iFACTORY. The strategic vision of the BMW iFACTORY focusses on sustainability, electrification, digitalisation and profitability. From the first concept of the plant to the present day, the Hams Hall team has made sustainability a key consideration. Since the first full year of production, the plant has made a 61% reduction in energy required per engine built, meaning the overall energy to operate the site has remained level even though there has been a considerable increase in production. The plant purchases 100% of its external electricity from renewable energy sources today. It has also worked to reduce its consumption of natural gas.

SpOTTO robotic dog scans and monitors manufacturing equipment

A four-legged autonomous robot named “SpOTTO” joined the Hams Hall team in 2024. The autonomous robotic dog scans the plant, supports maintenance and ensures production processes run smoothly. Equipped with visual, thermal and acoustic sensors, SpOTTO collects valuable data for the plant’s digital twin. It also serves as a watchdog, monitoring the maintenance of production facilities. SpOTTO was developed by Boston Dynamics under the product name “Spot”, an agile robot capable of climbing stairs and traversing rough terrain with ease. At Hams Hall, “Spot” was fondly renamed SpOTTO, paying tribute to the engine plant’s proud heritage: Gustav Otto, one of the founders of BMW, was the son of Nicolaus Otto, inventor of the four-stroke engine.

Fully connected digital twin: Big data on three levels

At the core of the Hams Hall plant’s digital transformation is the fully connected digital twin, which consists of three levels: On the first level, 3D representations of the entire plant are generated. The second level comprises a large data layer, continuously updated with all relevant information from the SpOTTO robotic dog, the plant’s manufacturing equipment and its IT systems. On the third level – the application level – dedicated programmes organise the collected data into comprehensible units. Using special apps, experts at Plant Hams Hall can leverage this information for tasks such as production planning and quality assurance.

A history of continuous growth

Over the past 25 years, BMW Group Plant Hams Hall has continuously evolved, establishing itself as a key pillar of the company’s production network. Relying on state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies, it provides drive trains for numerous BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce models.

Selected historic milestones:

• 2001: Plant Hams Hall launches series production with new four-cylinder engines, using innovative Valvetronic technology in large-scale manufacturing for the first time.
• 2006: An additional engine family is introduced; Plant Hams Hall produces engines for the MINI brand for the first time.
• 2013: Plant Hams Hall becomes the exclusive manufacturer of the award-winning three-cylinder engine for the iconic BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car. The plant also integrates additional production lines for three- and four-cylinder petrol engines. At the same time, the processing hall for crankshafts, crankcases and cylinder heads is expanded.
• 2022: The plant takes over production of V8 and V12 engines. With this step the plant generates even greater business value for the company.
• 2026: Plant Hams Hall celebrates 25 years of production.

The BMW Group’s drive train production network

The BMW Group’s engine production network comprises several plants alongside Hams Hall: Its largest engine facility is in Steyr, Austria, where diesel and petrol engines, as well as sixth-generation electric motors, are developed and produced. The fifth generation of electric motors is produced in Dingolfing. Plant Munich handles mechanical production of V8 and V12 engine components, while Plant Landshut manufactures special engines. The Chinese joint venture BMW Brilliance builds engines for the local market in Shenyang. Collectively, these locations support the BMW Group's technology-open powertrain strategy.

Munich. The BMW Group once again reduced the CO₂ emissions of its vehicle fleet sold in the European Union (EU27+2: EU, Norway, Iceland) in financial year 2025. Based on preliminary internal calculations, the figure came in at 90.0 grams per kilometre according to WLTP (2024: 99.5 grams per kilometre). This represents a reduction of approximately 9.5% in these emissions compared to 2024.

The applicable fleet target limit for the BMW Group set by the European Union (EU27+2: EU, Norway, Iceland) stood at 92.9 grams in 2025. The company was thus able to outperform this target by 2.9 grams.

“We once again overfulfilled Europe's ambitious CO₂ targets in 2025 – without relying on flexibility mechanisms or pooling. This underlines that our technology-neutral approach and systematic CO₂ reduction are not contradictory but go hand in hand. The decisive factor is the efficiency of all the drive technologies we offer our customers,” said Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG.

The continuing electrification of the BMW Group was a key driver in reducing its fleet-wide emissions last year. In 2025, the company delivered more than 316,000 electrified vehicles to customers in the European Union (EU27+2: EU, Norway, Iceland). The share of BMW Group sales represented by electrified vehicles in the European Union (EU27+2: EU, Norway, Iceland) rose to 41.1% last year.

In 2025, the BMW Group sold over 202,000 fully electric vehicles in the European Union (EU27+2: EU, Norway, Iceland). This represented around 26.3% of total sales volume in this region.

This provides a strong starting point for the BMW iX3, the first production model of the Neue Klasse, which will expand the BMW Group’s product line-up from 2026.

The reduction of fleet-wide emissions supports the BMW Group's long-term climate goals. In this way, the BMW Group is pursuing a holistic decarbonisation strategy across the entire lifecycle, with the aim of reaching “net zero” no later than 2050. This represents a firm commitment by the company to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. By 2035, it plans to reduce its CO₂e emissions by at least 60 million tonnes compared with 2019 levels.

“Every tonne of CO2 we can avoid counts. That is why we have adopted a holistic development approach to decarbonisation that goes far beyond fleet emissions. We are reducing CO2 across the entire lifecycle of our vehicles – from the supply chain to production and throughout their operation,” explains Joachim Post, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development.

The delivery figures reported in this press release are provisional and may change up until the BMW Group Report 2025 is published. Notes on how delivery figures are prepared can be found in the BMW Group Report 2024 on p. 427.

Munich. Corporate Communications and Governmental Affairs at BMW AG is restructuring its management team at department level with effect from 1 January 2025.

Here are the changes in detail:

Benjamin Titz will take over as Head of Communications Central and Southeastern Europe. He will also be responsible for communications for the Debrecen and Steyr production sites.

Titz has been with the BMW Group for 19 years. After spokesperson for MW Motorsport, BMW Motorrad and BMW M GmbH he took over the responsibility for design, innovation and motorsport communications.

Most recently, he headed the BMW Group Media House, which is responsible for orchestrating, creating, and producing content for the BMW Group’s own internal and external channels.

Eckhard Wannieck takes over the management of the BMW Group Media House. After various management positions, including in communications strategy, sports and cultural sponsorship and BMW product communications, he has been responsible for the BMW Group's business and financial communications for the last four and a half years.

Max-Morten Borgmann succeeds Wannieck as head of department for Corporate, Finance and Sales Communications.

Borgmann has been press spokesman for Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management at BMW AG, since 2019. Prior to that, he was responsible for the then CFO Nicolas Peter in the same role.

Before joining the BMW Group in 2015, he worked as a journalist for the dpa and dpa-AFX news agencies, where the automotive industry was among his specialist areas.

If you have any questions, please contact:

BMW Group Corporate Communications

Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl

Spokesperson for Human Resources and for the Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources and Real Estate

Phone: +49-89-382-23923

Mail: Hans-Peter.Ketterl@bmwgroup.com

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises over 30 production sites worldwide; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2023, the BMW Group sold over 2.55 million passenger vehicles and more than 209,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2023 was € 17.1 billion on revenues amounting to € 155.5 billion. As of 31 December 2023, the BMW Group had a workforce of 154,950 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action, from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products. 

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Munich. BMW AG Corporate and Governmental Affairs is reorganizing its management team at departmental level with effect from November 1, 2023.

The changes will affect the following functions specifically:

Alexandra Landers will take over as head of the “Product Communications BMW Automotive” department, where she will primarily be responsible for product, lifestyle and brand communications for the core BMW brand.

After holding several different positions as an HR manager, in Inhouse Consulting and as Regional Head of Communications in Europe, Landers has most recently worked as head of “PR Events”.

Nicole Geisel will take on the role of head of the “Corporate Communications Purchasing, Supplier Network and Sustainability” department.

After working in a range of positions in financial and IT communications and supporting the Supervisory Board of BMW AG, she most recently headed up the BMW Group’s Communications Strategy as well as Planning and Steering and Market Steering for Europe and China, along with the unit’s Business IT.

Markus Sagemann will take responsibility for the “PR Events” department.

In recent years, Sagemann has held numerous management positions in external and internal communications for the BMW Group. Most recently, he headed up the “Corporate Communications Purchasing, Supplier Network and Sustainability” department.

Ingo Wirth will take over the management of the “Strategy, Steering” department.

After heading up several roles in marketing communications and board management for the Board of Management, Wirth has in recent years been in charge of product communications for the MINI and BMW Motorrad brands and most recently also for the core BMW brand.

If you have any questions, please contact:

BMW Group Corporate Communications

Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl

Spokesperson HR and
Member of the Board of Management BMW AG, People and Real Estate

Tel: +49-89-382-23923

Mail: Hans-Peter.Ketterl@bmwgroup.com

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises over 30 production sites worldwide; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2022, the BMW Group sold nearly 2.4 million passenger vehicles and more than 202,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2022 was € 23.5 billion on revenues amounting to € 142.6 billion. As of 31 December 2022, the BMW Group had a workforce of 149,475 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products.

www.bmwgroup.com

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Twitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroup

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Munich. Alexander Buckan will take over from Edgar Heinrich as the new head of BMW Motorrad Design, effective 1 January 2024. Buckan will be responsible for the design of all BMW Group two-wheeled vehicles, rider's equipment and accessories. Edgar Heinrich, who has been BMW Motorrad’s head of Design since 2012, is retiring after 35 years at the BMW Group.

“We are delighted to be able to present our experienced colleague and motorcycle enthusiast Alexander Buckan as the new head of BMW Motorrad Design,” declared Dr Markus Schramm, head of BMW Motorrad. “Alexander has already contributed a great deal to our motorcycle design as the manager of our design team – making him the ideal choice to lead and bring new impetus to BMW Motorrad Design,” added Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design.

Long-serving employee and motorcycle enthusiast Alexander Buckan takes the helm of design team.
Buckan began his career at BMW Motorrad as a transportation designer back in 2003. Since then, he has been responsible for a variety of different models, including the BMW F 800 GS, BMW G 450 X, BMW R 1200 GS LC and BMW R 1200 GS Adventure LC.

In April 2015, Buckan was promoted to head of BMW Motorrad Vehicle Design. As design manager, he worked with Edgar Heinrich on the design of the BMW Motorrad VISION NEXT 100. The design of the BMW CE 04 and BMW CE 02 e-scooters was also Buckan’s responsibility, as well as the design of the new BMW R 1300 GS, which will celebrate its world premiere on 28 September 2023 at BMW Motorrad Welt in Berlin.

Edgar Heinrich: 35 years of passion for BMW Motorrad.
“We would like to thank Edgar Heinrich for his many years of outstanding service,” said Markus Schramm. “His enthusiasm for riding pleasure on two wheels has inspired countless fans around the world.”

Adrian van Hooydonk: “With his creativity and passion for BMW Motorrad, Edgar Heinrich has shaped the brand like no one else. Under his leadership, BMW Motorrad design has been significantly broadened, modernised and, above all, made more emotional.”

Edgar Heinrich began his career at BMW Motorrad in 1985 and was elevated to senior designer in 1992. In 2005, he was appointed head of BMW Motorrad Vehicle Design and, seven years later, assumed overall responsibility as head of BMW Motorrad Design. During this time, Heinrich shaped the brand’s design language and developed motorcycles that set the benchmark for their segments. Models like the BMW R 1100 S sports boxer, the BMW K 1200 R naked bike and the touring enduro icon, the BMW R 1200 GS, were all created under his leadership. Heinrich was also involved in developing HP models, rally motorcycles, electric scooters and the ground-breaking BMW Motorrad VISION NEXT 100 design concept.

• “Revolution in factory planning”: NVIDIA Omniverse enables virtual production in Plant Debrecen more than two years before actual series production is launched
• New dimension of BMW iFACTORY: Faster, more efficient planning processes save time and costs
• Global rollout of virtual planning
• BMW AG Board Member for Production Milan Nedeljković and NVIDIA CEO and founder Jensen Huang deliver joint demo at GTC 2023

Munich. BMW Group has taken factory planning to new heights – setting the latest milestone in the digitalisation of automotive manufacturing. More than two years before the official launch of series production, vehicle manufacturing is already underway in the future plant Debrecen – virtually, at least, as Debrecen is the BMW Group’s first facility to be planned and validated completely virtually. The ground-breaking and innovative planning concept was realised in collaboration with its partner NVIDIA. The future plant Debrecen is scheduled to open in 2025. Construction has just begun, and the new facility is scheduled to produce the BMW Group’s next generation of all-electric models: the Neue Klasse.

BMW Group is taking a digital-first approach to validate and optimize complex manufacturing systems across its production network using NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise, a platform for building and operating 3D industrial metaverse applications, to run real-time digital twin simulations to optimise layouts, robotics and logistic systems virtually. Omniverse will be extended across the BMW product network around the world.

“Virtualisation and artificial intelligence are accelerating and refining our planning. With the various planning systems consolidated within a digital twin, our teams around the world can now work together in real-time and make decisions faster and on a more solid foundation,” Milan Nedeljković explained. “This makes us much quicker and more efficient and saves on costs as well.”

“Digitalization is moving fastest in the automotive industry and BMW has been a leader in advancing this vision,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “We are partnering closely with BMW, using NVIDIA Omniverse to help streamline their manufacturing processes, enhance collaboration and further efficiency. Our collaboration will continue to push the frontiers of virtual integration for the next generation of smart, connected factories around the world”. 

In a joint demo at the NVIDIA GTC, a global conference for the era of AI and the metaverse, Milan Nedeljković, took Huang on a virtual planning session for the new body shop. Nedeljković described the real-time collaboration between the different BMW Group planning departments and their partners as a “revolution in factory planning”, delivered on NVIDIA’s Omniverse – which had enabled the first virtual start of production.

Engineering and planning experts from the two companies, both leaders in their respective fields worked, in close collaboration to help BMW build Omniverse applications that meet the BMW Group’s specific requirements. The virtual planning approach for the new vehicle plant is now considered a blueprint for all future planning processes at the BMW Group.

Virtual planning facilitates global collaboration – rollout starts end of March

NVIDIA Omniverse makes collaboration across sites and time zones easier and supports the planning and design of structures, production systems and processes at an entirely new technological level. It works as a “cockpit”, offering quick, easy access to the digital planning worlds of BMW. At the end of this month, Omniverse, which is both cloud-based and cloud-agnostic, will be available to BMW experts in various technologies and planning departments.

Next milestone in the BMW iFACTORY

Consistent virtual planning of highly complex vehicle production processes represents the BMW Group’s next important step in the transformation to the BMW iFACTORY. First introduced in early 2022, the concept of the iFACTORY is described by Nedeljković as “our masterplan for the automotive production of tomorrow”.

Based on a completely new vehicle architecture, the Neue Klasse heralds the fundamental transformation of production to the BMW iFACTORY. It began in 2020, when all of the BMW Group’s vehicle and engine plants were 3D-scanned. Since November of that year, more than seven million square metres of indoor and 15 million square metres of outdoor production space have been scanned. Subsequent modifications can be integrated into the digital world with a re-scan, to ensure the available data is always up to date.

Meanwhile, virtual planning is under way for the roughly 1.4 km² production hall for the Neue Klasse in Debrecen, where the success of the virtual start of production is a testament to the high standards that can be achieved through the digitalisation of the planning process. NVIDIA Omniverse allows production experts to use live data both in-house and with suppliers on the detailed planning and optimisation of processes and individual systems – without compatibility issues. It makes structure and facility data easy to retrieve and integrate with equipment and assembly line data. In the future items and part numbers for production materials will be available as well. What’s more, layout options – for instance for robots in work cells, or for the various areas of logistics – can be played through in real-time, photorealistic simulations and adapted as required. And with Omniverse, any modifications are evaluated, validated and implemented in real-time. The platform also will allow suppliers to be involved in decision-making and integrates the tried-and-tested design and planning tools that BMW has been using to date. These are made by various producers and include Bentley Systems MicroStation for layout planning, ipolog for logistics planning, Siemens Process Simulate, Dassault Systemes CATIA for vehicle design and Autodesk Revit for building planning, with more tools to follow.

Over time all the relevant product, process, quality and cost data will also gradually be available in Omniverse alongside the development, planning and production processes. There will also be further developments to the platform, which are expected to include “invisible” processes such as the consumption of energy and resources.

Omniverse will enhance digital operations as well – a crucial stage that is already being tackled by BMW Group and NVIDIA teams. In the future, this will allow operational faults to be localized in a matter of seconds and thus prevent longer production downtimes. It is also an important step towards, for example, integrating and automating virtual commissioning of new systems into a continuous planning process.

Spartanburg (USA)/Munich. The BMW Group continues the roll-out of its electromobility plan with a new investment in the U.S. to expand Plant Spartanburg and the company’s manufacturing footprint in the U.S. BMW Group Chairman of the Board of Management, Oliver Zipse, announced today a $1.7 billion investment in its U.S. operations, including $1 billion to prepare for the production of electric vehicles at the company’s existing U.S. manufacturing facility in South Carolina, and $700 million to build a new high-voltage battery assembly facility in nearby Woodruff, SC. By 2030 BMW Group will build at least six fully electric models in the U.S.

Zipse was joined today at Plant Spartanburg by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey III, Chairman of Spartanburg County Council Economic Development Committee, David Britt, and Woodruff, SC Mayor, Kenneth Gist as he also announced an agreement to source next generation lithium-ion battery cells from Envision AESC, which will build a new plant in the state.

“For decades, Plant Spartanburg has been a cornerstone of the global success of the BMW Group. The home of the BMW X models that are so popular all over the world. Going forward, it will also be a major driver for our electrification strategy, and we will produce at least six fully electric BMW X models here by 2030. That means: The ‘Home of the X’ is also becoming the ‘Home of the Battery Electric Vehicle’,” said Zipse on Wednesday. “In addition, we can showcase BMW Group’s ‘local for local’ principle: Our newly developed sixth generation battery cells, which were specifically designed for the next generation electric vehicles, will be sourced here in South Carolina – where X goes electric.”

Envision AESC Battery Cell Plant in South Carolina to Supply Plant Spartanburg

In line with the principle of "local for local,” the BMW Group aims to purchase battery cells for its electric vehicles where production takes place. The company has found a partner in Envision AESC, which will build a new battery cell factory in South Carolina, to supply Plant Spartanburg. Envision will produce newly developed round lithium-ion battery cells, which were specifically designed for the sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology, and will be used in the next generation electric vehicles. The annual capacity of the battery cell factory will be up to 30 GWh.

The new battery format will increase energy density by more than 20 percent, improve charging speed by up to 30 percent and enhance range by up to
30 percent. At the same time, CO₂ emissions from cell production will be reduced by up to 60 percent through the partial use of secondary lithium, cobalt and nickel material, as well as renewable energy for production. 

The cooperation with Envision AESC is an important step in the BMW Group's plan to strengthen its regional supply chains. The expansion of electric vehicle production in combination with a local battery cell factory will lead to the creation of new supply chains, new networks for sub-suppliers, and new jobs throughout the entire region.

BMW Group has already announced that four additional battery cell factories will be built in Europe and China to meet its demand for next generation battery cells. The cell factories are being built by partners and will each have an annual capacity of up to 20 GWh.

Increased Investment and Expanded Manufacturing Capacity in SC

Of the new $1.7 billion investment announced today, $700 million will be used to build a new high-voltage BMW battery assembly center in Woodruff, SC, near Plant Spartanburg. The new facility will encompass over 1 million sq. ft., and produce next generation batteries for fully electric vehicles. Around 300 new jobs will be created on site.  

Plant Spartanburg currently produces lithium-ion battery modules for the two plug-in hybrid electric vehicles built at the plant, the BMW X3 xDrive30e (fuel consumption combined: 2.6-2.0 l/100 km WLTP; power consumption combined: 20.5-18.9 kWh/100 km WLTP, CO₂ emissions combined: 59-45 g/km WLTP) and BMW X5 xDrive45e (fuel consumption in l/100 km combined: 1.7-1.2 WLTP; power consumption in kWh/100 km combined: 27.7-24.3 WLTP; CO₂ emissions in g/km combined: 39-27 WLTP.). In 2021, nearly 70,000 electrified BMWs were built on site. The site in Woodruff will also leverage the experience and expertise developed in Plant Spartanburg’s existing operations at the new facility.

“BMW’s sustained and impactful presence in South Carolina demonstrates the power of partnership and shared commitment to our state’s automotive industry success,” said Governor McMaster. “With today’s announcement of a $1 billion expansion to Plant Spartanburg for manufacturing electric vehicles as well as $700 million for a new plant in Woodruff to assemble battery units, the road to the future is here. And I applaud BMW on helping lead the way.”

BMW Group Plant Spartanburg

Plant Spartanburg was established 30 years ago and began producing vehicles two years later. Since then, the plant has become the global center of competence for BMW Sports Activity Vehicles and a critical component of the company’s global production network. The plant currently represents an investment of nearly $12 billion, employs more than 11,000, and has an annual capacity of up to 450,000 vehicles. To date more than six million BMW vehicles have been built in the U.S. – for the U.S. and global markets. Based on this strength, BMW has been the largest automotive exporter from the U.S. by value for the past eight years.

Plant Spartanburg currently produces 11 models including the BMW X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles, four BMW M models and two plug-in hybrid electric models. Production of the all-new hybrid-electric BMW XM (fuel consumption in l/100 km combined: 1.6-1.5 WLTP; power consumption in kWh/100 km combined: 30.1-28.9 WLTP; CO2 emissions in g/km combined: 36-33 WLTP. Preliminary figures that have not yet been officially confirmed.) will begin later this year.

The plant is supported by more than 300 suppliers in the U.S., including over 40 direct tier 1 suppliers in South Carolina alone.

“This is a very important step for Plant Spartanburg as we continue our legacy of producing high-quality vehicles, and build on the success of the last 30 years,” said Robert Engelhorn, President and CEO, BMW Manufacturing Co. “With this latest investment, we futureproof our operations and prepare the plant for electrification and new technologies, ensuring both the long-term success of our company and our position as an attractive and viable employer in the state of South Carolina.”

Ongoing Commitment in the U.S.

In addition to sales and marketing operations, the BMW Group footprint in the U.S. consists of nearly 30 locations in 12 different states, including an advanced design studio, a technology research and development center, and a venture capital fund in California, BMW Group Financial Services, and BMW Manufacturing Corporation, which operates Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina. The BMW Group dealer network consists of nearly 650 independently owned BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad dealers nationwide. Taken together, the BMW Group’s operatons in the U.S. directly and indirectly provide and support more than 120,000 jobs in the U.S., and has contributed $43.3 billion to the U.S. economy.

“Technology Openness” and Customer Focused Flexibility

BMW Group is clearly focused on a sustainable future and shares common ambition in the U.S. with regard to climate goals and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, the company is following a path of “technology openness” to offer a choice of fully electric, plug-in hybrid electric, and highly-efficient internal combustion options to its customers in meeting their diverse needs in vastly different geographies across the nation. BMW Group is committed to fulfilling its goal of making a minimum of 50% of its global sales battery electric vehicles by 2030.

360-Degree Approach

BMW Group has also set an initial target to reduce CO₂ emissions by 40% per vehicle by 2030. As BMW Group works towards the goal of climate neutrality, the company is focused on the reduction of CO₂ emissions throughout a vehicle’s entire life cycle. 

• Design and Engineering: Beyond simply electrifying its product portfolio, BMW Group begins the design and engineering phase of vehicle development with a ‘secondary first’ approach, so that currently on average nearly 30 percent of materials used in BMW Group vehicles are recycled or reused. In the longer term, the “secondary first” approach aims to increase this figure to 50 percent.
• Supply Chain and Procurement: BMW Group has been actively involved for many years in initiatives to develop standards for responsible raw material extraction and promote compliance with environmental and social standards for raw material extraction through certification of mines. The cobalt and lithium used as raw materials for the new generation of BMW battery cells will be sourced from certified mines which allows the company retains full transparency over extraction methods and ensures responsible mining.
• Vehicle Production: BMW Group’s global production network also relies on renewable energy such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power in the manufacturing phase of its vehicles. All of the company’s production sites have been net CO₂ neutral by offsets since 2021.
• Vehicle Use Phase: BMW Group is also working to ensure that the electricity generated to charge battery electric vehicles is done so sustainably. For example, partnerships with dairy farms in California reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capturing methane gas and transforming it into renewable energy, which is exported to the power grid. The company also operates a pilot program called ChargeForward in the San Francisco Bay Area which makes it possible for owners to charge their vehicles with as much solar energy as possible.
• Vehicle Recycling & Post-Life:From the start BMW Group vehicles are designed with recycling in mind, thereby improving the possibility for components to be recycled or reused. The company has already demonstrated the ability to recover more than 90% of the material from high-voltage batteries and has approximately 3,000 collection points worldwide for the recycling of end-of-life vehicles.

As the BMW Group continues towards an electric future, the company is looking beyond the vehicles themselves to ensure that it delivers sustainable solutions across the value chain and throughout the entire lifecycle of the vehicle. In the U.S. BMW currently offers two fully electric vehicles including the BMW iX Sports Activity Vehicle and the BMW i4 Gran Coupe. The fully electric
BMW i7 Sedan (power consumption in kWh/100 km combined: 19.6-18.4 WLTP) will come to market later this year and BMW will make a significant step forward. For more information about the BMW Group’s focus on sustainability and unique approach to electrification, please visit: https://www.bmwgroup.com/en/sustainability.html

_{If you have any questions, please contact:}

_{BMW Group Corporate Communications}

_{Eckhard Wannieck, Head of Corporate, Finance and Sales Communications
E-Mail: Eckhard.Wannieck@bmwgroup.com, Tel.: +49 (0) 151 601 28042}

_{Sandra Schillmöller, Communications Purchasing, Supplier Network, Sustainability
Email: Sandra.Schillmoeller@bmwgroup.com, Telephone: +49-89-382-12225}

_{Bernhard Ederer, BMW Group Innovation Communications
Email: Bernhard.Ederer@bmwgroup.com , Tel.: +49 (0) 176 601 28556}

_{Martina Hatzel, Communications Production Network BMW Group
E-Mail: Martina.Hatzel@bmwgroup.com, Tel.: +49 (0) 151 601 11966}

_{For questions regarding Envision AESC please contact:}

_{Lauren Flanagan, Senior Director International Government Relations & Communications, Envision Group
E-Mail: lauren.flanagan@envision-energy.com, Tel. +44 7379 340 101}

Munich. By early 2023, the BMW Group will have a digital scan of every one of its vehicle plants worldwide. In this way, the company is systematically merging the real and virtual worlds and tapping into the enormous potential for highly efficient planning of future plant structures and production facilities. “This opens up entirely new possibilities for us to implement both extensive new planning and smaller-scale remodelling of existing structures in a highly efficient, precise and flexible manner,” says Michele Melchiorre, head of Production System, Planning, Tool Shop, Plant Construction at the BMW Group.

Alongside data science and artificial intelligence, virtual planning is a core element of digitalisation within the strategic vision of BMW production: the BMW iFACTORY. The aim is to make planning and simulation of all processes and the entire production system 100 percent virtual. Virtualisation takes planning for all processes to a new level, by enabling collaboration in real time between different locations and across different time zones. “Production planning can integrate the virtual product into the virtual factory at an early stage. This reduces planning effort and capital expenditure and, at the same time, ensures processes are more efficient and more stable during ramp-up,” explains Melchiorre.

For completely new future production structures, the BMW Group will rely on cooperation with NVIDIA and its Omniverse software platform. “We are entering a new dimension of factory planning,” underlines Melchiorre. This means planners can conduct a virtual walk-through of BMW Group plants at any time, from anywhere. They can develop production systems together in the simulated world, compare best practices and share information quickly and easily within the network. “This forms the basis for planning and developing our new vehicle plant in Debrecen in Hungary,” continues Melchiorre: “Today, around three years before the series launch, we are already able to simulate core processes at our future plant virtually.”

The BMW Group is digitalising its existing plants in cooperation with NavVis. The Munich startup is considered one of the world's leading providers of technology in the field of reality capture and digital twins. Mobile 3D laser scanners will be used to create photorealistic panoramic images, floor plans and scatter plots for all BMW Group vehicle plants, by early 2023, that are accurate down to the last detail, including all building structures, facilities and outdoor areas.

Since November 2020, around four million square metres of indoor space and nine million square metres of outdoor space at BMW Group plants have been scanned using portable mobile scanning systems and drone systems. As a result, digital twins are already available for the US plant in Spartanburg, the main plant in Munich and Plant Regensburg. Plants Dingolfing, Leipzig and Tiexi in China will also be captured by September of this year. By spring of 2023, digital data will also be available for the BMW Group plants in Mexico, South Africa, the UK and Dadong, China. The NavVis IVION Enterprise platform will then create a digital image of reality – the Digital Twin – from these huge data volumes.

Around 15,000 BMW employees are already working with this data, using a cloud- and web-browser-based software called the BMW Factory Viewer. With the help of this software and with just a few clicks, existing plants can be virtually inspected, specific points in production found via points of interest (POIs) and highly precise measurements carried out.

The system also allows individual sections of the 3D scans to be cut out and made available to external suppliers, for instance. This saves time and effort during production planning, improves collaboration with internal and external interfaces and eliminates planning errors.

3D scanning technology also allows both smaller and larger-scale remodelling projects at BMW plants to be transferred quickly and easily to the digital world, using the so-called re-scan process. The company is working in this area on developing its own autonomous scanning robots to keep the digital master data current in the long term, without requiring additional personnel effort. For this purpose, the BMW Group is using in-house solutions, such as the Smart Transport Robot (STR) developed by BMW Group subsidiary IDEALWORKS. Michele Melchiorre: “Partnerships like those with NVidia and NavVis allow us to combine our pioneering spirit and process know-how with cutting-edge technologies.”

+++ SORDI (Synthetic Object Recognition Dataset for Industries) accelerates artificial intelligence in production +++ AI dataset contains more than 800,000 photorealistic images in 80 categories of production resource +++ Synthesising training data takes the efficiency of AI in production to a new level +++   Further strengthening of no-code AI: Superfast generation of robust AI models. +++

Munich. The BMW Group is publishing the world’s largest data set to streamline and significantly accelerate the training of artificial intelligence in production. The synthesised AI dataset – known as SORDI (Synthetic Object Recognition Dataset for Industries) – consists of more than 800,000 photorealistic images. These are divided into 80 categories of production resources, from pallets and pallet cages to forklifts, and include objects of particular relevance to the core technologies of automotive engineering and logistics.

By publishing SORDI, the BMW Group together with its partners Microsoft, NVIDIA and idealworks is making available the world’s largest reference dataset for artificial intelligence in the field of manufacturing. The visual data is of particularly high quality, and the integrated digital labels enable basic image processing tasks to be carried out, such as classification, object detection or segmentation for relevant areas of production in general.

“The BMW Group has been using artificial intelligence since 2019. AI has already been utilised in various quality assurance applications in production at the plants. SORDI, the new, synthetic dataset makes AI models much faster to train and AI considerably more cost-efficient in production,” says Michele Melchiorre, Senior Vice President of BMW Group Production System, Planning, Tool and Plant Engineering.

To create the synthesised AI training data non-manually, the simulated environment for robotics, the digital twin of the production system and the AI training environment were all fused within the NVIDIA Omniverse. The rendering pipeline from the BMW Tech Office in Munich allows any number of photos, including labels, to be synthesised in sufficient photorealistic HD quality for them to be used in the creation of highly robust AI models. SORDI can be utilised by IT professionals to develop and tailor AI solutions for manufacturing, and by production employees to maintain mature AI systems for validation purposes ready for the start of production.

Freely available to software developers, the publication of the innovative dataset represents the next targeted step in the BMW Group’s systematic expansion of activities to democratise artificial intelligence (https://github.com/bmw-innovationlab). The publications of no-code AI and SORDI complement each other: on the one hand, the BMW Labelling Tool Lite and published AI training tools explicitly allow users to use AI intuitively, even if they lack sound IT expertise. On the other, SORDI’s synthesis significantly accelerates and simplifies the training of AI models for production applications.

Munich. The English-language podcast thriller "Hypnopolis" by BMW is being continued. The second season of the successful audio entertainment format starts today. It is completely fictional, stands out from the competition and is the first ever interactive podcast published by a brand. The episodes of the first season released last year, starring time-travelling journalist Hope Reiser, topped the podcast charts and were played in 26 countries. 

"Hypnopolis II, Utopia in progress" bases its plot, even more so than in the first season, on data-based future scenarios from the BMW Group. The main focus is on the megatrend of the circular economy and the responsible use of resources. The protagonists of the new edition of the eco-thriller travel in futuristic airships to stunning locations of a slowly regenerating world, such as a solar and recycling farm in North Africa. The "Hypnopolis" story deliberately focuses neither on the BMW brand nor on vehicles, but it does draw on the expertise of the BMW Group. The plot is based on assumptions made by the company's ‘future” experts - for example about how cities and mobility will develop.

BMW now focuses even more on a futuristic storytelling format as part of its highly regarded audio strategy. The listening experience has been improved even further. Conceived by the British star author Robert Valentine together with the Hamburg creative agency Jung von Matt/NEXT ALSTER and elaborate production in Los Angeles and Hamburg, "Hypnopolis II" season is an interactive podcast. Listeners can influence events with individual decisions by speaking short voice commands. So the outcome of the story varies depending on the choices a listener makes. This makes the podcast even more personal, authentic and entertaining. "With the second part of our successful fictional podcast series, we are providing an even more personalised listening experience with new, interactive elements. Listeners can influence the course of the story through their decisions - this is how we emotionalise the brand and consistently follow our customer-centred marketing approach," says Stefan Ponikva, Head of BMW Brand Communication and Experience.

Since the format has also been implemented in the entertainment programme of BMW vehicles, customers can enjoy the podcast as an "in-car experience". "Hypnopolis" alongside "Changing Lanes", "Creators of a different beat" and "KulturMobile. The Literature Podcast." is the fourth podcast from BMW.

All BMW Group podcasts can be accessed as follows:

"Hypnopolis" bmw.com, youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, deezer, Google Podcasts

"Changing Lanes”: bmw.com, youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, deezer, Google Podcasts

"Creators of a different beat”: youtube, facebook

"KulturMobile. The Literature Podcast.": bmwgroup.com, youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, deezer, Google Podcasts

• The two industry leaders are revolutionising virtual planning and engineering for highly complex manufacturing systems
• Omniverse platform allows different applications to connect, with unrestricted compatibility
• Greatly enhancing the speed, precision and efficiency of the planning process

Munich. The BMW Group and NVIDIA are generating a completely new approach to planning highly complex manufacturing systems – with the Omniverse platform. The virtual factory planning tool integrates a range of planning data and applications and allows real-time collaboration with unrestricted compatibility. As industry leaders, the BMW Group and NVIDIA are setting new standards in virtual factory planning.

Milan Nedeljković, BMW AG Board Member for Production: “Together we’re about to make a huge leap forward and open up completely new perspectives in the field of virtual, digital planning. In the future a virtual representation of our production network will allow us to realise an innovative, integrated approach to our planning processes. Omniverse greatly enhances the precision, speed and consequently the efficiency of our planning processes.”

“BMW does personalized manufacturing at a massive scale - their operations are among the most complex in the world,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “In their vision of future factories, people and robots work together, engineers from all aspects of factory design collaborate in a shared virtual space, and the entire factory is simulated with photorealistic detail. NVIDIA Omniverse was built to realize this future. I am delighted that BMW is using NVIDIA Omniverse to connect their teams to design, plan and operate their future factories virtually before anything is built in the physical world. This is the future of manufacturing.”

Virtual factory planning is already widespread, but until now it has required data to be imported from various applications. This is not only time-consuming but also raises compatibility issues. In addition, the data is not always up to date. In the future, the Omniverse platform will enable live data to be collected and collated from all the relevant databases to create a joint simulation – eliminating the need to reimport data. The goal is to enable modifications and adjustments to be assessed in the early stages of planning in order to create an overall view. This extreme transparency will allow planners and production specialists to plan highly complex production systems even more quickly and accurately, without interface losses or compatibility problems. Omniverse integrates data from various professional design and planning tools from a range of different producers and uses it to generate photo-realistic real-time simulations in a single collaborative setting.

Outstanding photorealistic quality is just one of the many benefits of Omniverse. Another is that employees at different sites in different time zones can access the virtual simulation and work together to plan and optimise details of a process or production system whenever they need to. In addition, Omniverse can be used in a multitude of applications: in the future, planners and production specialists will collaborate using real-time data that is synchronised in the Omniverse cloud infrastructure. They will also be able to discuss the integration of new production systems with suppliers. Omniverse allows structure and facility data to be integrated, as well as items and part numbers of materials in production. It can also be used for logistics planning, offering unprecedented data consistency, from planning through to production. “This is redefining collaboration,” emphasises Board Member for Production Milan Nedeljković. The ability to carry out changes live will speed up decision-making noticeably. Production planners at the BMW Group will be able to visualise the entire planning lifecycle for every plant in the global production network, accelerated by scalable GPU performance. This will be supported by a wide range of AI-capable application cases, from autonomous robotics to predictive maintenance and data analysis.

The BMW Group and NVIDIA are long-standing partners. In a first pilot project, the US-based company fitted high-performance technologies and special AI control modules to logistics robots and to the BMW Group’s self-developed autonomous transport robots (STR).

Munich/Shenyang. The BMW Group continues to drive the expansion of electromobility and is adapting its production structures to growing demand for fully and partially electrified vehicles. In China, the BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA) joint venture has expanded its battery factory at the Tiexi location, the so-called “High-Voltage Battery Centre”, with a further battery centre that will immediately begin producing the new and more powerful batteries of the fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology used in the fully-electric BMW iX3*.

The new High-Voltage Battery Centre was officially opened today at a formal ceremony attended by high-level representatives of both the Chinese government and BBA. Representatives of the BMW Group attended the event virtually.

Milan Nedeljković, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Production, said at the opening ceremony: “China is of high importance to the BMW Group, both as a market and as a location for production and innovation. Our investments underline our strong commitment to China and Shenyang over the long term. And the investments are ongoing: The Tiexi and Dadong plant extension projects are well on track. And we are preparing for future growth: With this new Battery Center, we more than double the capacity of our local battery production in China.”

BBA President Dr. Johann Wieland added: “The expansion of our High-Voltage Battery Centre is concrete proof of our commitment to continue investing in Shenyang, Liaoning and north-eastern China. It also shows our determination to take a leading role in sustainable mobility, as we launch our pure electric BMW iX3.”

China is the BMW Group’s largest single market and sets the tempo for e-mobility around the world. With five electrified models currently available, the BMW Group offers Chinese customers the widest range of options in the premium segment. There are already a total of 75,000 electrified BMW models on China’s roads today.

Production of the new fully-electric BMW iX3 will get underway at BBA Plant Dadong by the end of September. The high-voltage batteries it requires will be supplied by the nearby new battery centre. The BMW X3 is the first model available with highly efficient petrol and diesel engines incorporating 48-volt mild-hybrid technology, with a plug-in hybrid drive train, or as a pure electric model.

Fifth-generation high-voltage batteries with significantly higher energy density also use fewer raw materials

The high-voltage battery for the fifth-generation BMW eDrive was developed from the ground up with pioneering new battery cell technology. The high-voltage batteries’ output and energy content can be flexibly scaled for use in different vehicle concepts and segments.

The BMW Group has more than ten years of deep in-house expertise developing battery cells. All know-how flows into precise specifications for battery cells to then be manufactured externally. Systematic research and development efforts not only steadily enhance performance and energy density, but can also continuously improve all relevant battery cell characteristics. Considering all relevant aspects as a whole – especially durability and safety, BMW high-voltage batteries represent the best that can be achieved today. At the same time, the newest battery generation has also been able to reduce the amount of the cobalt used as a raw material by another two thirds. Compared to the battery cells widely used by the BMW Group in its fully-electric vehicles in the past, the battery's gravimetric energy density has been improved by about 20 percent at cell level in the BMW iX3. The BMW Group is sourcing its own cobalt and lithium for the first time and supplying these raw materials to its battery cell producers.

As a leader in sustainability, the BMW Group has also reached a contractual agreement with its cell manufacturers that they will only use green power to produce fifth-generation battery cells.

In future, fifth generation high-voltage batteries will also be produced at the BMW Group Dingolfing plant

The expanded High-Voltage Battery Centre is the first location in the BMW Group production network to manufacture fifth-generation high-voltage batteries. At the same time, the Competence Centre for E-Drive Production in Dingolfing is also gearing up to produce the new fifth-generation high-voltage batteries. These will be installed in additional products, such as the BMW iNEXT and the BMW i4, starting next year. By producing high-voltage batteries where they are needed, the company is able to minimise transportation and thus contributes to sustainability.

BMW Brilliance Automotive joint venture (BBA)

The BBA Brilliance Automotive joint venture was founded in 2003 and has become one of the most successful premium automobile manufacturers in China in recent years, encompassing production and sales of BMW automobiles in China, as well as local development tasks. In 2019, the BBA automotive plants in Tiexi and Dadong produced over 530,000 vehicles for the Chinese market – an increase of more than 9% year-on-year. Maximum capacity at the two plants will reach 650,000 units per year over the coming years.

Munich.  Today, the English sci-fi thriller podcast "Hypnopolis" celebrates its debut. This makes BMW the first automobile manufacturer in the world to offer its customers their own audio entertainment podcast. In a total of six episodes of 15-20 minutes each, listeners can expect not only a gripping story, but also insights into the mobility of the future. "Hypnopolis” is already the fourth podcast series by the BMW brand next to "Changing Lanes", "Creators of a different beat" and "KulturMobile”. 

Previous BMW Group podcasts

With "Changing Lanes", BMW has been offering a weekly infotainment show about technology, lifestyle, design, innovation and of course cars since mid-March. At the height of the corona pandemic, "Changing Lanes" presented four special issues so far under the name "Creators of a different beat". The live interviews with guests such as Alex Zanardi or yoga expert Sinah Diepold are intended to inspire listeners, spark optimism for the future and help a little in overcoming these challenging times. 

The literature podcast of the KulturMobile was developed in this spirit, with readings of works from 19th century world literature in German and English. The head of BMW Cultural Commitment and producer of the podcast, Prof. Dr. Thomas Girst, says about the history of its origins: "First of all it was about doing something good for our employees and their families in these difficult times. Very soon we decided to publish the podcast for all people interested in culture and BMW. With this podcast we want to make literary works available in audible form and in an experience-oriented way for as wide a circle as possible. KulturMobile is an employee initiative of the BMW Group, which has been making employees aware of the company's commitment to culture and inviting them to participate since 2003.

Hypnopolis: Cinema for the ears!

"As a brand, BMW has always been telling exciting and emotional stories. The best-known and internationally awarded examples of this are the short film series "The Hire" with Clive Owen or "The Small Escape" featuring the modified BWM Isetta as an escape car. With our HYPNOPOLIS podcast we are now opening up the next chapter: Cinema for the ears!” - Jens Thiemer, Senior Vice President Customer & Brand BMW.

With "Hypnopolis", the BMW brand is now expanding its podcast range to include a pure entertainment program. It will entertain listeners on long car journeys, for example. The emotional bond to the brand is strengthened in this way. In line with the motto "Beyond the car" stories, "Hypnopolis" does not focus on the BMW brand or vehicles, but is based on assumptions made by BMW future experts, for example about the development of cities and mobility. The story mainly tells of a scenario set in the future. In the first episode, Hope Reiser awakes from a thirty-year sleep penalty and suddenly finds herself in the year 2063. However, she is convinced of her innocence and fears that the real murderers have been waiting for her and are watching her. The search for the truth begins! 

Robert Valentine: Award winning author of Hypnopolis

With Robert Valentine, BMW was able to win over one of the most well-known science fiction authors. The science fiction genre is familiar territory for the Londoner, who has won the "BBC Audio Drama Award". He works as a writer for the audio version of Dr. Who, among other things. "Hypnopolis" is set to become his next award-winning podcast alongside "Red Moon" and "Dr. Who": “While I was keen to present the positive potential of technology in the future, as a dramatist I'm well aware that the one thing that never changes is human nature. The world of Hypnopolis may be a technocratic garden paradise, but just like the garden of Eden, there's a snake lurking in the grass in the form of the shadowy figures determined to bring down our heroine, Hope Reiser. (…) Her spirit and her refusal to accept the lies of a complacent authority are the qualities I think we're all going to need if we're going to make the future the place we hope it will be.”

All BMW Group podcasts can be accessed via bmwgroup.com or via familiar streaming services.

“Hypnopolis”: https://www.bmw.com/en/innovation/hypnopolis-podcast.html

"Changing Lanes”: youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, deezer, Google Podcasts

"Creators of a different beat." youtube, facebook

“CultureMobile. The Literature Podcast.”: bmwgroup.com, youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, deezer, Google Podcasts

The history of the BMW Group:

100 years of fascination for mobility.

Table of contents.

1. The history of the BMW Group: 100 years of fascination for mobilty
   (Summary) ............................. ..............................................................................................................2
2. Choosing independent pathways:
   Creativity and courage for innovative solutions. ............................................................................................................ 10
3. Taking responsibility, mastering challenges:
   Powering through highs and lows. ........................................................................................................... 16
4. Benchmarking with the best:
   Sports competition as motivation to peak performance. ........................................................................................................... 21
5. The right product at the right time:
   Ahead of the trend and into the future. ............................................................................................................26
6. Timeline:
   100 facts from 100 years. ............................................................... 30