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German automaker breaks ground for new battery plant.
BMW breaks ground for an automotive battery assembly plant in Thailand to supply its planned expansion in Asian markets.
The automaker says the plant in Rayong will assemble Gen-5 high-voltage batteries for future vehicles produced by another production facility for battery-electric vehicle products scheduled to start in the second half of 2025.
The battery factory will have a footprint of 13,123 sq.-ft. (1,219 sq.-m) with an assembly line that will convert imported battery cells into modules that will then be integrated into high-voltage batteries. BMW has invested more than 1.6 billion baht ($45 million) in the project, mostly to purchase state-of-the-art equipment and systems.
The automaker has been producing high-voltage batteries in Thailand for locally made plug-in hybrids since 2019. Plant Rayong currently manufactures about two dozen BMW, Mini and BMW motorcycle models for the domestic as well as various ASEAN markets. In 2023 output totaled more than 12,000 cars and almost 11,000 motorcycles.
Milan Nedeljković, board member for production at BMW, says: “Local production of high-voltage batteries in Rayong is the next logical step in the continued electrification of our production network. Once again, the principle of ‘local for local’ applies, supporting economic development, employment opportunities and knowledge transfer in Thailand and the ASEAN region.”
