BMW Group Plant Regensburg gears up for the future with commissioning of expanded body shop in Neutraubling – AutoMart Canada

+++ With 342,521 cars produced in 2024, Plant Regensburg was
the BMW Group’s highest-volume vehicle plant in Europe +++ Plant
Director Armin Ebner: “New body shop will help meet high market
demand” – with over 120 vehicle bodies produced per workday +++
Preparations for next model generation +++

Regensburg. Today, BMW Group Plant Regensburg
commissioned a new body shop at Plant Site 6.12 (Neutraubling),
attended by Regensburg’s local commissioner, Tanja Schweiger, and
Neutraubling mayor, Harald Stadler. Plant Director Armin Ebner: “The
BMW X1 and BMW X2 produced in Regensburg remain extremely popular with
customers worldwide. In the new production hall in Neutraubling, we
currently manufacture over 120 vehicle bodies per day, helping us meet
high market demand.” Once completed, the bodies from Neutraubling are
transported to the vehicle plant in Regensburg, where they are
assembled into finished cars around the clock in three-shift operation.

Local Commissioner Tanja Schweiger: “In these increasingly
challenging times, BMW continues to be a key player in the automotive
industry. The decision to expand the body shop for these two
best-selling models represents a clear strategy for the future and
marks a significant positive development for the Regensburg district’s
status as a location for industry.” Neutraubling Mayor Harald Stadler
added: “The fact that you are expanding your plant here is a strong
commitment to the location and shows that the economy feels at home
with us. As mayor, I am also very proud when BMW vehicles with bodies
‘made in Neutraubling’ are on the roads all over the world.”

Regensburg: the BMW Group’s highest-volume European vehicle plant

Every 57 seconds, a new vehicle rolls off the Regensburg assembly
line – adding up to more than 1,400 vehicles per day. With an annual
production of 342,521 cars, Plant Regensburg was the BMW Group’s
highest-volume vehicle plant in Europe in 2024, exceeding its 2023
production (238,301 units) by more than 100,000 vehicles. Over a third
of the vehicles manufactured in Regensburg in 2024 were electrified,
either as plug-in hybrids or fully-electric models. “We build our
vehicles for the global market and contribute to the growth of
electromobility,” emphasised Ebner.

Body shop expanded to approx. 40,000 m² – with about 150 employees

An approx. 40,000-square-metre hall on Berliner Straße was remodelled
to accommodate the new body shop in Neutraubling. To the north, four
smaller extensions were built, covering nearly 1,000 square metres.
Around 150 employees currently work in the hall in a single shift. The
production hall, which was built in 2003, is located on premises owned
by the firm Preymesser. BMW previously rented this facility, using the
space for logistics purposes. In April 2024, the company successfully
applied for a change of use from the town of Neutraubling and the
Regensburg County Administration Office. “I would like to say a big
thank to the authorities for approving this request and for the
excellent support from the town and County Administration Office,”
underlined Ebner.

Implemented in record time of less than 12 months – thanks to
“tremendous team effort”

The new body shop was constructed in a record time of less than 12
months. “What we have achieved here in recent months is not only
impressive because of the speed. The cooperation with all internal and
external partners has been outstanding,” said Ebner, praising the
“tremendous team effort of everyone involved”. Dismantling of the
previous logistics facilities and construction of the new body shop
went hand in hand. The first test bodies rolled off the assembly line
in January and production ramped up in early March. A total of 294
robots are in use. 238 welding guns set up to 4,771 welding points per
vehicle body. As part of the capacity expansion, BMW X1 bodies will no
longer be produced solely in the existing body shop in Regensburg, but
also in Neutraubling.

Preparations for next model generation

With an investment of over 550 million euros in the past two years,
the BMW Group has also secured the long-term future of both Upper
Palatinate locations: Regensburg and Wackersdorf. Plant Director Armin
Ebner: “This signals our firm commitment to Upper Palatinate as as
location for industry.” At the same time as building current models,
BMW Group Plant Regensburg is already preparing for production of the
next model generation. “With the NEUE KLASSE, the company aims to set
new standards for digitalisation, electrification and circularity –
and we are gearing up for this in Regensburg as well,” said Ebner.
During the production break over the New Year period, remodelling at
the plant continued in the body shop, paint shop and vehicle assembly.
Further, more extensive structural measures will follow during a
five-week production downtime in summer 2025.

“FACTORY OF THE YEAR” award recognises outstanding performance

Numerous accolades for the plant and vehicle models built in
Regensburg have confirmed the location’s outstanding performance in
recent years. Just a few days ago, the Plant Regensburg team was
presented with the “FACTORY OF THE YEAR” 2024 award in the category
“excellent large-series assembly” at a congress in Ludwigsburg. The
award is regarded as one of Germany’s most prestigious industrial
competitions. The judges noted that “the innovation and dynamism with
which Plant Regensburg is implementing the transformation towards the
iFACTORY, together with the entire workforce, is highly impressive. In
particular, the flexibility in both the factory set-up and among its
employees is exemplary and serves as inspiration for successful
production in Germany.”

BMW Group Corporate Communications
Christian
Dürrschmidt, Communications Regensburg
Cell phone: +49 151 6060
5194, Email: Christian.Duerrschmidt@bmw.de
Saskia
Graser, head of Communications Regensburg and Wackersdorf +49 151 6060
2014, Email: Saskia.Graser@bmw.de

Media website: www.press.bmwgroup.com

Email: presse@bmw.de

BMW Group Plants Regensburg and Wackersdorf

The BMW Group vehicle plant in Regensburg has been in operation since
1986 and is one of more than 30 BMW Group production locations
worldwide. Every workday, around 1,400 vehicles of the BMW X1 and BMW
X2 models roll off the production line at Plant Regensburg, destined
for customers around the globe. Different types of drive trains are
flexibly manufactured on a single production line – ranging from
vehicles with internal combustion engines to plug-in hybrids and
fully-electric models. 
BMW Group Plant Regensburg was recognised
as “FACTORY OF THE YEAR” 2024 in the category “excellent large-series
assembly” of the prestigious industrial competition. As it implements
the so-called BMW iFACTORY, the BMW Group is focused on digitalisation
of the Regensburg plant site to create a digital and intelligently
connected factory. It is already possible to experience in virtual
form what the factory will look like a few years from now. Production
of models for the NEUE KLASSE, BMW’s next generation of vehicles, will
ramp up in Regensburg in the second half of the decade.
The BMW
Group plant in Wackersdorf is home to cockpit production and parts
supply for overseas plants. With the opening of a new battery testing
centre and commissioning of the first phase in autumn 2024, the
location is also a key facilitator for electromobility. An entirely
new area of expertise is the door and flap centre for Rolls-Royce.

The BMW Group core staff at the Regensburg and Wackersdorf locations
in eastern Bavaria consists of around 9,250 employees, including about
300 apprentices.

www.bmwgroup-werke.com/regensburg/de.html