Design and manufacturing integration, digitalisation key to cost and sustainability gains for BMW’s Neue Klasse
By Christopher Ludwig2024-01-12T01:03:00
To realise large cost and emission savings on its EV architecture, BMW is redesigning vehicles and manufacturing in parallel, and rolling out rapid digital solutions.
According to Milan Nedeljković, board member for production at BMW Group, the carmaker will reach new levels of efficiency, digitalisation and sustainability in production of the Neue Klasse. The carmaker’s goal is to cut manufacturing costs by 25% compared to 2019 levels – savings that would amount to even greater reductions compared to the increased costs that have followed the pandemic and supply chain shortages over the past four years. It also aims to increase the amount of recycled materials in the lifecycle of the vehicles to 50%.
Essential to achieving these manufacturing efficiencies and design ambitions has been “taking advantage of the production benefits” of the new EV architecture, said Nedeljković.