BMW i4 and iX: The two electric models that BMW launched in November have been sold out for several months. So said now BMW President Oliver Zipse Munich Mercury. That’s why BMW wants to create up to 6,000 more jobs next year.
Among other things, due to unexpectedly high demand for the two electric models, BMW is now ending job cuts. The number of employees will be increased by up to five percent, according to Zipse.
At the beginning of December, BMW had already reached its production limits for the i4 in Munich: management tried to make further shifts in discussions with the Labor Council. Obviously there are five-digit numbers for i4 orders in Europe, but even then, only about 1,000 cars were built in Munich, and not just the i4, but above all the third series.
The BMW iX has been manufactured at the Dingolfing plant since July, and is expected to be one of the largest models in terms of size by 2022. There, however, it introduced BMW switched to one shift in October due to chip shortage, again Bavarian Broadcasting mentioned.
The i7, which will launch in 2022, is also likely to be manufactured in Dingolfing, as the current 7 Series is already made there. As for the Mercedes-EQS competitor, the company’s boss apparently expects the same high level of demand as the i4 and iX: “Next year, the electric 7 Series will come, and it won’t be any different,” Zipse said.
BMW recently announced the start date of the following electric models from Munich:
- 2022: BMW i7 and BMW iX1
- 2023: BMW i5, Mini Countryman SE and Rolls-Royce Specter
- 2026: “New Class”
However, inadequate charging infrastructure remains a problem for electric mobility: “In Europe, the number of electric cars is currently growing five times faster than the infrastructure,” Zipse said. The BMW chief demanded that CO2-Combines binding goals and objectives for the charging infrastructure. This is exactly what the EU Commission intends to do; In the summer, I suggested that there should be a fast charger on European motorways at least every 60 kilometers.
As for the global chip shortage, which is currently slowing auto production around the world, Zipse estimates it will continue for another year. By the end of 2022, “largely normal” will prevail again, Zipse hopes in light of the investments made by chip makers.