Demand for electric cars is on the rise in Europe and elsewhere around the world, prompting BMW to ramp up production of the i3 and VW to build the e-Golf for longer than originally planned.
BMW has significantly increased production capacity compared to the original plan for the second half of 2020 at its Leipzig plant in Germany. The company is extending shifts and shortening breaks to increase the number of vehicles built per day from 114 to 130.
In addition, the automaker has cancelled the one-week summer break for the i3 assembly line. Automobilwoche reports the decisions are motivated by increasing demand and the need to recuperate the long production stoppage in the second quarter of the year caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. In the first half of 2020, BMW built just over 12,500 i3 EVs, while in the entire 2019 calendar year production reached 38,937 units.
Read Also: BMW To Keep The i3 In Production Until 2024, Most Likely With Upgraded Battery
BMW i3 EVs awaiting shipping at the Bremerhaven port in Germany
As for the VW e-Golf, production will continue at the Transparent Factory in Dresden until Christmas, contrary to initial plans. However, e-Golf production ended for good at the Wolfsburg plant on July 23.
VW currently makes 74 e-Golfs every day but aims to reach an output of 80 vehicles per day. Mind you, this will only continue until Christmas, when the Dresden plant will be converted to build the ID.3 starting January 2021.
Launched in 2013 and 2014, respectively, the BMW i3 and VW e-Golf remain popular in many European countries as they qualify for subsidies and are frequently offered with generous discounts. In Germany, for example, the EVs are eligible for an environmental bonus of up to €9,000 ($10,700), plus a reduction in VAT from 19 percent to 16 percent.
VW e-Golf production in Dresden, Germany