Shenyang now home to BMW's largest production base

Credit: Ti Gong

Caption: Oliver Zipse and Chinese government officials jointly witnessed the signing of the investment Memorandum of Understanding.

The BMW Group announced on Friday that it will further invest in China with 20 billion yuan (US$ 2.8 billion) for its Shenyang production base, home to the group's largest production base globally.

The focus of the new investment will be a large-scale upgrade of the facilities, technologies, and supply chain of Plant Dadong, the birthplace of BMW production in China, in preparation for the local production of the Neue Klasse from 2026.

"The BMW Group and Liaoning have built a model of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation," said Oliver Zipse, chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. "The future is being built here in Shenyang."

The Neue Klasse is by far the BMW Group's largest-ever investment, according to Zipse.

Credit: Ti Gong

Caption: BMW Brilliance Shenyang has an annual production capacity of 830,000 vehicles.

The strategic cooperation will also promote the high-quality development of NEV (new-engergy vehicle) and ICV (intelligent connected vehicle) clusters in Northeast China, making the manufacturing industry smarter, greener, and more efficient.

In addition, a 10 billion yuan sixth-generation battery project is progressing on schedule, with the main building fully completed last November, according to BMW officials.

The cumulative investment in BMW's Shenyang production base has now reached 105 billion yuan since 2010.

On April 13, Zipse accompanied German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on his visit to China, together with a German business delegation, marking an increasing emphasis on the Chinese market.

"BMW's successful development in China is closely intertwined with the country's economic progress and social development," Zipse said.

"We remain confident of continuously investing in China and contributing to the deepening of Sino-German cooperation."

BMW delivered a total of 825,000 BMW and MINI vehicles in China in 2023, up 4.2 percent year on year, accounting for 32 percent of the BMW Group's global sales.

Among these, there were 100,000 pure electric models, a year-on-year increase of more than 138 percent.

Credit: Ti Gong

Caption: At the BMW Group Night held on the eve of the opening of the Beijing Auto Exhibition, BMW's new concept vehicle "Neue Klasse" made its domestic debut.