BMW Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina may be called the “home of the X models,” but not all of the company’s crossovers are built there. Take for example the entry-level X1, which is assembled at BMW Plant Regensburg located in eastern Bavaria. The German factory is happy to announce the one-millionth X1 has just rolled off the assembly line. The milestone vehicle is a fully electric iX1 xDrive30 finished in Alpine White.
The iX1 was actually the first EV to be made in Regensburg when production of the third-generation X1 (U11) kicked off back in November 2022. At the end of this year, the new X2 (U10) will hit the assembly line together with the first-ever iX2. At the same factory, BMW also puts together the 1 Series hatchback, which is expected to transition to the next generation (F70) at some point in 2024.
As many as 1,000 vehicles are produced each day. The plant will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2027. Meanwhile, BMW will be investing more than €350 million by year’s end at the Regensburg factory where approximately 500 new jobs will be created. From November, the plant will switch to a three-shift operation by adding a night shift. It’s already making cars on some Saturdays to keep up with strong demand.
The X1 portfolio is growing taking into consideration that the M35i was just revealed as the first M Performance variant of the crossover. In addition, the iX1 is expected to receive a cheaper eDrive20 model with a single motor and two-wheel drive. Chances are BMW is planning an equivalent iX2 but nothing is official yet.
Bear in mind the X1 is not exclusively built in Regensburg as a long-wheelbase derivative in both ICE and EV flavors is assembled in China for the local market. It debuted in April at Auto Shanghai as one of the several stretched BMWs sold in the country. The 3 Series and 5 Series sedans have also been elongated in China where the luxury brand sells an X5 Li as well.
Source: BMW
