BMW Group has begun series production of its all-electric BMW iX3 at its new plant in Debrecen, Hungary – the company’s first facility designed to operate entirely without fossil fuels.
Speaking before the opening, Milan Nedeljković, BMW board member responsible for production, said: “The start of series production for the BMW iX3 signals a new era of automotive manufacturing. Digital from the very beginning, the plant will offer a new dimension in efficient production without fossil fuels.”
The €2 billion Debrecen facility embodies BMW’s iFACTORY strategy, focused on digitalisation, efficiency, and sustainability. It will run exclusively on electricity from renewable sources, including a 50-hectare on-site solar farm that provides about a quarter of its annual power needs.
Surplus energy is stored in a thermal system with a 130 MWh capacity, while waste heat from production is recovered and reused, cutting overall emissions even further.
In the energy-intensive paint shop, electric heating replaces natural gas – a shift expected to reduce carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions by up to 12,000 tonnes per year. BMW says the plant will generate just 34 kg of CO₂e per vehicle produced, roughly 90 percent lower than comparable facilities.
Hans-Peter Kemser, head of BMW Group Plant Debrecen, says: “We have taken on the challenge of building a completely new vehicle as the first job at an entirely new plant – and doing so in the leanest, most efficient way possible.”
Every aspect of the site has been digitally planned and validated before construction, allowing BMW to simulate and optimise production processes virtually. Nearly 1,000 robots populate the body shop, and AI-based systems continuously monitor quality along the assembly line.
The plant will also assemble BMW’s new sixth-generation high-voltage batteries on site, a step that shortens supply chains and strengthens regional integration.
Debrecen is the first BMW plant not tied to a specific parent factory but rather operates as a network hub, sharing expertise with other BMW sites around the world.
The 2,000-strong workforce has trained across BMW’s global network, including in Germany, China, South Africa, Mexico, and the US.
The iX3 is the first model in BMW’s Neue Klasse platform, which will underpin around 40 new electric models and updates by 2027. The company says Debrecen represents its benchmark for efficient, digital, and sustainable vehicle production.
