BMW Spending Big Bucks on New EV

After dragging its feet with EV production, BMW is finally forging ahead. This doesn’t mean you’re about to see a lot more i3s on the road. Instead, it’s the i4 that the Bavarian Boys are feeling confident about.

In an official press release, BMW said it will invest €200 million in its Munich factory to get ready for the upcoming i4. Already, the facility makes the M4, 3 Series, and 4 Series under one roof. That’s impressive or maybe idiotic, because BMW now will assemble internal combustion vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and pure electrics all in the same plant.

Not only are the powertrains different, even the bodywork on the BMW i4 pushes into new territory for the automaker. Why BMW didn’t just dedicate one facility to making the i4, because that would’ve made more sense, is a legitimate question to ask. Instead, BMW’s press release essentially brags about all the problems the company has been solving, which it created by insisting on making the EV in an already cramped facility with more traditional cars.

Honestly, BMW has made a number of questionable moves when it comes to electrification. While company executives talk boldly about catching up with Tesla, there’s no evidence that’s happening. VW and Porsche seem to get that establishing separate facilities to make EVs is the smart way to go about things.