It was only last month when the BMW Dingolfing Plant marked half a century of car production and now it has another reason to celebrate. The iX has reached an important milestone as 100,000 units have been assembled since the electric SUV entered series production in July 2021. The posh family hauler with zero emissions is particularly popular in the United States where BMW is shipping around 32% of this year’s iX production.
BMW Group’s largest European production site, the Dingolfing Plant produces more than 1,500 units every day between the 4 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, 8 Series, and the iX. Some 282,000 vehicles were manufactured in 2022. More than 18,000 people are employed at the site, along with 85 apprentices receiving training in 15 different occupations. This is also the place where the bodies for all Rolls-Royce models are made.
It is believed the iX will undergo a Life Cycle Impulse in March 2025 when production is expected to start. That would imply a world premiere either by the end of 2024 or early the following year. Insiders claim BMW is looking to upgrade not only the motors but also the battery pack to extract additional miles of range.
Other yet-to-be-confirmed changes could include a wider availability of the M Sport Package, fresh alloy wheel designs, and an illuminated kidney grille (aka Iconic Glow). This iX LCI is said to remain in production until June 2028. Provided there will be a next-generation model, it would make sense for the model to make the switch to the Neue Klasse platform but it’s too soon to know for sure.
Before the iX gets a facelift, the Dingolfing Plant will welcome a new member in 2024 when the 5 Series Touring will start to roll off the assembly line. It’s getting an equivalent electric i5 wagon, complete with an i5 M60 M Performance derivate.
Speaking of other models produced in Dingolfing, the slow-selling 6 Series Gran Turismo (G32) has already been discontinued. The 4 Series will go under the knife in 2024 while the 7 Series is set to receive the LCI treatment around 2026. Things aren’t looking particularly great for the 8 Series as sources within BMW claim there won’t be a third generation. However, the Gran Coupe could return later this decade purely as an EV.
