BMW to Start Production of its Electric Cars… in Thailand

RiderTua.com – Now BMW has various kinds of electric cars sold in Indonesia in the i-Series. It’s just that like other models, this BEV model is still imported directly from abroad in CBU (completely built-up) form. Moreover, BMW brought it from Europe, more precisely from Germany. So plans emerged to open electric car production, but the factory will be built in Thailand.

BMW Strengthens i-Series Electric Car Line-up

Sales of BMW electric cars in Indonesia last year were quite good, especially with the many models offered in the market. They also continue to launch various new models, including the entry level BEV cars iX2 and iX1 which they released last year. Both received good reception from their markets, especially in the electric SUV market.

However, if you pay attention, the selling price is quite expensive for an electric car like this. Even the two models mentioned previously are still priced at over IDR 1 billion, but for premium class models that is already a reasonable price. Still, BMW is looking for ways to reduce its selling price, including relying less on its factories in Germany.

No Need to Import From Europe Anymore

BMW then thought about producing its electric cars in Southeast Asia, considering the fairly rapid market development here. Even though they have car assembly facilities in Indonesia, they chose Thailand as a production base for their BEV models. Not only cars, BEV batteries will also be produced there.

Indeed, this is not surprising, considering that several automotive manufacturers choose Thailand as a production location for their environmentally friendly products. Due to incentives provided by the local government, both hybrid and electric models. So producers can sell it at more affordable prices.

However, BMW seems to be doing this so they don’t have to import it from Europe anymore. Considering that the demand for cars in the global market is quite high, this has the potential to cause a pivot.