BMW iX3 Demand Is So High That The Factory Is Already Doing Double Shifts

• BMW is running double shifts at its factory in Debrecen, Hungary, to cater to the high number of orders for the iX3 EV SUV.
• European deliveries are already underway, with order books full and reaching “well into this year.”
• A third of all new BMW EVs ordered in Europe is an iX3.

BMW has poured billions into bringing its Neue Klasse EVs to the market, but it seems to be paying off. The iX3 electric SUV, the first of the Neue Klasse-based EVs, is already being built in two shifts at the automaker’s new factory in Debrecen, Hungary, just a few months after it debuted in Europe.

Oliver Zipse, BMW’s CEO, said that production of the iX3 has successfully ramped up at the company’s new European plant, and that demand for the new SUV is “significantly exceeding expectations.”

BMW iX3 Production In Debrecen, Hungary

Photo by: BMW

Deliveries of the BMW iX3 are already underway in Europe, where the order books are “full and reach well into this year,” Zipse added. The German automaker said that the Neue Klasse electric SUV is a hit among customers who have never driven a BMW before, with the iX3 accounting for a third of all BMW EVs ordered in Europe.

The Bavarian brand’s new factory in Debrecen can build up to 150,000 EVs per year at full capacity, but that’s yet to be reached. The latest-generation iX3 in short-wheelbase form will initially be built exclusively in Hungary, but the German company will likely expand production of the sleek SUV in Mexico, with the San Luis Potosi plant expected to start churning out electric iX3s for the North American market next year, as noted by BMW Blog.

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Source: BMW

A long-wheelbase version will also be built in China, but it won’t be exported globally. Instead, it will be exported to countries like India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, where generous rear passenger legroom is a big selling point.

Deliveries of the Neue Klasse-based BMW iX3 in the United States are scheduled to begin this summer, with the 50 xDrive version kicking things off. More affordable powertrain options will join the lineup later, including a rear-wheel drive iX3 40. At the other end of the spectrum, a hardcore M version of the electric crossover is expected next year, packing a four-motor setup making at least 800 horsepower.

With up to 400 miles of EPA range, an 800-volt architecture that enables ultra-fast charging, and a nice interior, the BMW iX3 makes range and charging anxiety a thing of the past. And customers know it. But BMW isn’t alone in making a truly modern EV and reaping the benefits.

Volvo’s EX60 and Mercedes-Benz’s GLC EV are equally impressive cars, and both companies have said that they’re seeing tremendous success so far.