The company says this will be the first time that a Mini model is produced entirely in Germany
BMW Group’s plant in Leipzig is preparing production of the all-electric Mini Countryman.
The new Mini Countryman will come off the production line in Leipzig together with the BMW 1 Series, BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé and BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, making the plant the first where vehicles of the BMW and Mini brands are manufactured together.
This will be the first time that a Mini model is produced entirely in Germany, the company says.
The Countryman will roll off the production line in Leipzig from the end of this year and use the high-voltage batteries from the plant’s own production facilities.
The BMW Group is expanding its capacities for e-component production at the Leipzig site with eight production lines being added by 2024 and investing more than €800m. By 2024, more than 1,000 employees will be employed in e-component production.
Plant Leipzig is also focused on sustainability. Part of the energy required for automotive production can be generated by four wind turbines 190 metres high directly on the plant site. In 2021, 21.9 GWh of electricity was generated from wind power.
Petra Peterhaensel, plant director, said: “Our Leipzig vision is the complete decarbonisation of production by replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen.
“At the BMW Group plant in Leipzig, we are the first automotive plant in the world to use a newly developed burner technology in our paint shop that can use green hydrogen instead of natural gas.
“Hydrogen has already been used in plant logistics since 2013. Today, five hydrogen filling stations provide energy for over 130 fuel cell-powered industrial trucks, the largest fleet in Germany.”
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