BMW

BMW has opened a battery plant in Woodruff, South Carolina, thereby also starting production of all-electric cars in the United States. The plant is about 15 miles from the Spartanburg facility; batteries are to be installed, among others, in the new BMW iX5 and in future electric models. More than 300 employees and around 250 robots work in Woodruff; BMW plans to build at least six all-electric models at the Spartanburg plant by 2030. The site is the fourth series location for high-voltage batteries after Debrecen, Irlbach‑Straßkirchen and Shenyang. » Więcej na kurier.at

Russian attacks on plants of supplier Kromberg & Schubert in Schytomyr and Luzk disrupted parts supply and led to shift cancellations at BMW in Regensburg, Leipzig and Oxford. The bottleneck is wiring harnesses, which are manufactured for specific vehicle models and are hardly replaceable at short notice. Skoda also reported temporary shift reductions, while other manufacturers have so far reported no major disruptions. The incidents highlight the vulnerability of automotive supply chains and the debate over risk management and redundancy for key components. » Więcej na n-tv.de

BMW omits a diesel engine from the new 3 Series, a clear sign of the shrinking diesel offering. Manufacturers such as VW are cutting diesel models nationally and across Europe; new registrations in Germany have fallen below ten percent for the first time, and diesel’s share in Europe has dropped to about seven percent. High costs for exhaust treatment, tighter regulations, rising diesel prices and weakening demand are depressing residual values and accelerating the withdrawal. The trend is turning diesel increasingly into a niche technology, while buyers are shifting to hybrid and electric cars. » Więcej na wiwo.de

Due to short-term bottlenecks in external parts supply, BMW is currently cancelling individual shifts at the Regensburg, Leipzig and Oxford plants. The group did not name the missing parts or the causes, but emphasized close contact with its supplier network and measures taken to stabilise the supply. Individual cancelled shifts can affect hundreds of vehicles; based on experience, such disruptions can often be made up. » Więcej na spiegel.de

BMW will, from the end of the decade, increasingly source sixth-generation battery cells from Samsung's and LG's factories in Europe and the USA. The aim is to shorten transport routes, increase supply security and reduce dependence on Chinese cells. Procurement diversification is part of the purchasing strategy, alongside existing suppliers such as Catl and Eve Energy. » Więcej na manager-magazin.de