Construction work is underway for the BMW Group’s Thai manufacturing facility for Gen-5 high-voltage batteries. With that, the BMW Group is readying a production facility to manufacture fully electric vehicles, with local battery electric vehicles (BEV) production scheduled to start in the second half of 2025.
MWS sees the production of high-voltage batteries in Rayong as a key step for the electrification of its production network. The forthcoming high-voltage battery assembly facility will have a footprint of 4,000 square meters and is an important addition to the business activities of BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand. The new assembly line will convert imported battery cells into modules that will then be integrated into high-voltage batteries. BMW Group has invested more than THB 1.6 billion (around USD 45 million) in the project, a significant share of which – almost THB 1.4 billion (around USD 38 million) – will be used to buy equipment and systems.
BMW Group has been producing high-voltage batteries for locally made plug-in hybrids in Thailand since 2019. The Rayong plant manufactures around two dozen BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad models for the Thai as well as various ASEAN markets. In 2023 output totalled more than 12,000 cars and almost 11,000 motorcycles.
(Source: BMW Group)