This 3 millionth milestone electrified vehicle was to be a 330e Touring PHEV destined for the UK.
If anyone ever wanted to grasp the scale of how many cars are at least partially electric these days, just know that BMW’s Munich plant alone has recently rolled out its three-millionth electrified vehicle. The milestone vehicle was a BMW 330e Touring in Portimao Blue, destined for the UK market.
Now, as some pedants might point out, “electrified” doesn’t necessarily mean fully electric. It includes both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). Still, this is no small feat, especially considering the Munich plant is just one of several BMW production sites worldwide.
Incidentally, as of 2024, one in every four cars sold worldwide by the BMW Group (inclusive of Rolls-Royce and MINI) was either fully electric or a plug-in hybrid, highlighting the accelerating shift towards electrification.
BMW credits its innovative production strategy as a key enabler of this milestone, with the company now producing electrified vehicles and pure internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles on the same production lines. This approach offers maximum flexibility to respond quickly to fluctuating market demands, not to mention eliminating the need for separate production infrastructure while allowing the automaker to scale its electric offerings as needed.
“With its highly flexible production, the BMW Group is able to respond to customer requirements in line with market trends and demand,” explains Milan Nedeljković, member of the Board of Management responsible for Production. “All plants in our global production network are enabled for electromobility, paving the way for continued growth in this segment.”
BMW’s electrification journey officially began back in 2013 with the launch of the fully electric i3 from Plant Leipzig. Alongside it came the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car, both of which initially required specialised production facilities due to their unique architectures. But over time, BMW has streamlined and integrated electrified vehicle production into all its major plants worldwide.
Today, BMW’s electrified production spans the globe, from China to Thailand. In fact, the brand began locally assembling PHEVs right here in Malaysia as early as 2016, starting with the X5 xDrive40e.
Today, Malaysian buyers can choose from models like the all-electric iX, i4, i7, and PHEV variants such as the 330e and 530e, assembled at BMW’s facility in Kulim, Kedah.
To support all this electrified vehicle production, BMW also manufactures fifth-generation high-voltage batteries at multiple sites, including Regensburg, Leipzig, and Spartanburg. Its sixth-generation e-drives, which are set to debut with the Neue Klasse range, will in turn be produced at BMW’s new facility in Debrecen, Hungary.
Getting back to its Munich plant at the end here, BMW had previously announced that this factory would become the first in the group’s network to exclusively produce EVs by 2027. However, with the brand now placing greater emphasis on production flexibility rather than a hard switch in this recent milestone announcement, it looks like a few petrol engines might still be rolling down that line for a while yet.
