BMW i3 Begins Production in Leipzig and Will Lead Berlin Marathon

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i3’sBMW i3Germany, 2014 > present are leaving the company’s Leipzig factory and deliveries will begin before the end of the year.

The factory got a €400 million upgrade to build the electric car that is made from carbon fiber reinforced plastic. The money went to buy new machines and hire 800 new employees to build the new model, plus 600 further jobs at suppliers as far away as Moses Lake, Washington where the carbon fiber for the car comes from.

The production of the i3 uses 50% less energy and 70% less water than conventional auto production, and the electricity for the car comes from wind turbines at the Leipzig factory.

“Today represents a milestone in our company’s development. We are making history with the BMW i3. Not only is our first electric car about to hit the road, we are also completely redefining sustainability with regard to personal mobility thanks to groundbreaking technologies and processes,” said BMW production chief Harald Krüger.

The first production i3 will act as the lead car in the Berlin Marathon on September 29. Deliveries to European buyers will begin in November, and they will go to the United States and China in early 2014.