BMW’s Munich Plant Ready To Start Assembling New i4 Electric Sedan

After six weeks of work and around €200 million ($236 million) invested, BMW has completed the conversion of its Munich plant in Germany right on schedule, preparing it for the assembly of the i4.

The birthplace of the ICE- and hybrid-powered 3-Series Sedan and Touring, the factory, which was inaugurated back in 1922, will also make the new generation M3 that’s due this year alongside the new M4.

“We have completed the comprehensive restructuring and conversion of the plant successfully, on schedule and without complications”, said plant director Robert Engelhorn. “Our plant can now manufacture the fully electric BMW i4 on the same line as the diesel-, petrol- and hybrid-powered vehicles.”

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BMW i4 seen here in pre-production form undergoing testing

Production of the i4 will be carried out on the existing bodyshop, but several others had to be installed for the floor and rear section assembly, as well as the electric drive and high-voltage battery. The latter alone weighs approximately 550 kg (1,213 lbs), and will be attached to the body by a fully automated system that uses cameras to check whether it is correctly aligned.

Expected to be unveiled before the end of 2020, the i4 will use two electric motors that will generate a total output of around 523 HP (530 PS / 390 kW), or 49 and 20 HP (50/20 PS / 37/15 kW) more than the 2021 M3 in base and Competition variants, respectively. The zero-emission sedan should do the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint in around 4 seconds, while the estimated driving range with the 80 kWh battery pack fully charged should be around 600 km (373 miles).