The first examples of the new BMW i3 electric saloon have rolled off the production line in Munich – but don’t get too excited just yet, these are late stage prototype models to test that everything is working fine in the factory. 

“Production of pre-series vehicles is an important milestone for our plant,” says Munich factory boss Peter Weber. “For the first time, we have built a BMW i3 entirely at our plant – using state of the art manufacturing technology and digitally connected processes.”

Until now, test cars and prototypes have been assembled at the company’s research and innovation centre, but testing the actual assembly line is the final part of getting ready for series production, which will begin in the summer says BMW. 

Putting a car together is a complicated business, and there are fiendishly complex systems in place to ensure that every car has all the right parts it needs at any given point on the assembly line. These will include any bespoke touches that customers have ordered just to make things difficult for BMW. 

Individual elements of the factory production line had to be installed and checked before the whole sequence could be put together. To add to the complexity, BMW has developed the i3 production line as a so-called ‘iFactory’, using AI to provide quality checks throughout the production process, as well as controlling robots and delivery vehicles across the site. 

There are some real people involved, however – the German carmaker says that production line employees have been training in augmented reality setups until now, but will be shifted over to the actual assembly line now that it’s ready.

The new i3 will be the second car after the well received iX3 SUV to be built in line with the company's so-called Neue Klasse philosophy, which harks back to the Munich-based manufacturer's 1960s reinvention. 

Want to know more about the new i3? So do we – but check out everything we know so far about the important new BMW here.