BMW prepares Regensburg plant for the Neue Klasse
BMW is advancing its preparations for the Neue Klasse at its Regensburg plant. During a three-week production pause, the automaker installed a new pre-assembly line for the integration of high-voltage batteries, among other updates.
According to the Bavarian manufacturer, vehicle production at the Regensburg plant was paused between 8 to 30 August. Several hundred measures were implemented across the press shop, body construction, paint shop, vehicle assembly, and logistics. More than 1,000 employees from partner companies were involved. Since the beginning of this week, the current models – BMW X1 and X2, along with their electric variants, the iX1 and iX2 – have resumed rolling off the production line as planned.
The primary focus of the work was a new pre-assembly line for energy modules (VEMs), where the high-voltage battery is connected to the body. This will be essential for the future production of vehicles based on the Neue Klasse electric platform. Drawing a parallel to the classic ‘marriage’ of the body and powertrain – BMW refers to this step as the “battery marriage”.
For Neue Klasse models, the battery will be connected to the body at the very beginning of vehicle assembly. To enable this, BMW has installed a new assembly line. Additionally, a high-bay warehouse was constructed in a neighbouring building, capable of storing energy modules for a full day’s production.
From there, the high-voltage batteries are transported fully automatically and in the required sequence via a conveyor bridge to the pre-assembly area. A gantry gripper removes the batteries from their transport containers and places them on the VEM line. Robots then screw the battery and body together, integrating the high-voltage storage system into the vehicle structure before it enters the regular assembly process.
BMW adapts entire assembly for the Neue Klasse
The work extended beyond the new battery integration. According to BMW, every production facility in vehicle assembly received an update. This is intended to enable flexible production of various models and drive types, including the Neue Klasse, on the same lines in the future.
Preparations in Regensburg have been underway for some time. As early as the 2024/2025 year-end transition, BMW had already adapted body construction, the paint shop, and vehicle assembly, among other areas. In March 2025, the manufacturer also commissioned an additional body construction facility in neighbouring Neutraubling, where additional bodies for the X1 series are produced.
Currently, BMW produces the X1/iX1 and X2/iX2 in Regensburg with various drive types, ranging from internal combustion engines to plug-in hybrids and fully electric variants. More than 1,400 vehicles leave the plant daily. In 2024, approximately 342,500 cars were built there, making Regensburg the highest-volume vehicle plant of the BMW Group in Europe. More than one-third of last year’s production consisted of electrified models.
BMW has not yet revealed exactly when the Neue Klasse will enter series production in Regensburg or which model will be the first to roll off the production line. The manufacturer only mentions a production start in the second half of this decade. However, the facility’s newly installed battery marriage step is undoubtedly critical to this.