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BMW announces that all their electric cars will be assembled at their Leipzig, Germany facility. Among the EVs is a subcompact, internally referred to as “Megacity”. The vehicle is also planned for release mid-2013 under a different name.
The company chose Leipzig for the existing factory’s flexibility and capability for increased capacity. Parts will also be built in Wackersdorf and Landshut, with Lithium-ion batteries coming from SB LiMotive, a joint venture between Bosch and Samsung. The Megacity will also be kept lightweight with the extensive use of carbon fiber. A joint venture with BMW and SGL Group will produce a carbon fiber fabric that will later become carbon fiber reinforced plastic. But for which part of the EV the material will be used for, the automaker did not say.
Meanwhile, BMW plans to release first a limited series of the electric version of the 1-Series, the BMW ActiveE. BMW’s development executive Klaus Draeger says that the ActiveE powertrain will be tested for use in the Megacity.
