The BMW Group celebrated 100 years of manufacturing products at its Munich home plant. Originally opening in 1922, producing products as “Bayerische Motoren Werke” the plant in the Milbertshofen district manufactured aircraft engines and motorcycles.
CEO Oliver Zipse stated “Our home plant – right in the heart of the metropolis that is Munich – has defied the elements of time. Because there have always been people who kept this site moving, always with the right instinct for the times and, above all, with a clear view to the future.” Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter spoke of a “strong commitment to Munich as a business hub.”
Some of BMW’s most successful creations had its roots begin in Munich plant, including the companies first motorcycle. The R32 was created in the Munich plant in 1932, and was released under the BMW’s Motorrad brand. The R32 featured a flat-twin boxer engine, which the company is well-known for; featuring the boxer in many of it’s models to this day. In 1952 the plant began producing cars, and many iconic ones at that; including the iconic BMW Isetta, racing legends such as the M3 and, since 1975, the most successful of all BMW models: the BMW 3 Series.
Along with being in its 100th year, the Munich plant is also taking on a lead role with electromobility. The all-electric BMW i4 already makes up a quarter of the production volume – and rising. “The demand among our customers for the new BMW i4 is enormous – so we’re ramping up production even further. Next year already, every second vehicle leaving the Munich plant will be fully electric. Going by current plans, that means more than 100,000 BMW i4s from the heart of Munich for customers all over the world,” announced Oliver Zipse.
