he first series-produced vehicles of the new BMW 7 Series have today rolled off the production lines of BMW Group Plant Dingolfing. In fact, today was a double debut, with the new top-of-the-range BMW manufactured not only with highly efficient combustion engines but also as the fully electric BMW i7. Milan Nedeljković, BMW AG Board Member for Production: “Our new BMW 7 Series is the first luxury sedan in the world to offer customers a choice between three types of drive. Whether fully electric, combustion-powered or, soon, plug-in hybrid, we have the flexible production structures and outstanding integration skills we need to manufacture such a diverse range of drives efficiently.”

The BMW Group invested over €300 million to ready the Dingolfing vehicle plant for production of the new BMW 7 Series. As it strives consistently to implement the BMW vision of production of the future, its largest European plant is increasingly being transformed into a BMW iFACTORY practising the ‘Lean. Green. Digital.’ approach. For the first time, the BMW Group is piloting automated manoeuvres within the production environment by just-made BMW 7 Series vehicles – and optimising assembly and outbound logistics processes as a result.

With production under way, once sales organisations have been provided with the show and demonstration vehicles they need, the new BMW 7 Series will be available to customers worldwide in the autumn of this year. The BMW i7, especially, marks the next step in the BMW Group’s electromobility campaign for the luxury segment, which Dingolfing has come to symbolise. Board Member Milan Nedeljković: “Exactly a year ago, we were here to celebrate the start of production of our BMW iX. Today the BMW i7 is the latest milestone on our journey. Next year will see the launch of the fully electric variant of the BMW 5 Series as we step up the pace of electromobility and electrify our core model series.” By the end of 2022, one in four BMWs leaving Dingolfing is already expected to incorporate an electric drive, rising to approx. 50 percent of the plant’s total output by the middle of this decade, according to current plans.

The new BMW 7 Series builds on various technology modules of the BMW iX – not just for individual features like the onboard network architecture, user interface and driver assistance systems but also in terms of production and validation processes in assembly, for which the BMW iX was the trailblazer. Examples include the redesigned aggregate fitting station, sling loop assembly, test rigs for driver assistance systems and the new finish process, which is now even more efficient throughout, from first ignition to the vehicle dispatch area. The BMW iX is currently one of Dingolfing’s most successful vehicles.

Converted during production shutdowns, the bodyshop was able to integrate the new BMW 7 Series into the structures previously used to manufacture the model’s predecessor. By adapting and re-using systems in this way, the BMW Group has saved hundreds of millions of euros and a wealth of resources. The floor assemblies of the new BMW 7 Series have distinct geometries and vary in part, depending on the type of drive, yet they can all be manufactured completely flexibly in any combination on one and the same main production line. In addition, automation – in door fitting, for instance – and a reduction in material combinations and the bonding processes required have made processes more efficient. In the paintshop, a special process has been established for the exclusive two-tone paintwork of the new BMW 7 Series, melding techniques from series production with the manual painting skills of the Dingolfing specialists.

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