For over four decades, BMW’s plant in Steyr, Austria, has been the beating heart of the brand, pumping out the glorious internal combustion engines that have defined “Sheer Driving Pleasure” for generations. But the times are changing, and that heart is getting a powerful electric jolt. BMW has officially fired up the production lines in Steyr for its all-new Gen6 electric motors, the very power units destined for the revolutionary Neue Klasse vehicles.
This isn’t just another production ramp-up; it’s a seismic shift for the Munich-based marque. “Today, we are laying the foundations for the future of the BMW Group,” stated Milan Nedeljković, BMW’s Board Member for Production. The Steyr plant, long the bastion of petrol and diesel expertise, is now the first and central site for producing the highly advanced Gen6 e-drives, which will be shipped across BMW’s global network.
From Pistons to Pulses: A Billion-Euro Bet
BMW is putting its money where its mouth is, investing over a billion euros into the Steyr facility between 2022 and 2030 to transform it into the group’s leading location for all drive trains. This strategy, which BMW calls “technology openness,” is a clever move. It leverages the plant’s immense experience in building complex powertrains while future-proofing the site and its workforce.
The plant will continue to manufacture its revered diesel and petrol engines in parallel with the new electric assembly lines. “Steyr will remain the heart of our drive train expertise – both for combustion engines and electromobility,” confirmed Klaus von Moltke, the plant’s director. The transition is significant, with projections showing that by 2030, half of the plant’s entire workforce could be dedicated to e-mobility.
Under the Hood of the Gen6 Drive
So, what makes this new Gen6 motor special? It’s a complete overhaul designed for maximum performance and efficiency. The core components—rotor, stator, transmission, and inverter—are all produced in-house at Steyr on two new assembly lines. The entire system is built around a new 800-volt architecture, a significant leap that allows for faster charging and better performance.
BMW has also integrated the inverter, which converts DC battery power to AC for the motor, directly into the engine housing. This inverter uses cutting-edge silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors to boost efficiency even further. This highly integrated, modular design not only saves space and weight but also generates cost savings and allows for flexible production across the entire Neue Klasse range.
The Payoff: More Kilometres, Less Waste
For the driver, these technical advancements translate into tangible, exciting benefits. Martin Kaufmann, SVP of global Powertrain Development, breaks down the numbers. Compared to the previous Gen5 motor, the new Gen6 unit boasts a staggering 40% reduction in energy loss, a 20% cut in costs, and a 10% decrease in weight.
These efficiency gains are the key to unlocking incredible real-world performance. The first model to benefit will be the Neue Klasse version of the BMW iX3 50 xDrive, which is projected to achieve a range of up to 800 km (WLTP). That’s a game-changing figure that puts to rest any lingering range anxiety and signals that BMW’s electric future is not one of compromise, but of progress. It’s a firm commitment, as von Moltke puts it, “to Europe, to technology and to the future”.
