BMW Brings EV Motor Production to Steyr in Austria

The new Gen6 e-engine, designed for 800-volt architectures, started production this month.

October 1, 2025

Sebastian Blanco

The electric motor for the sixth generation of BMW eDrive (Gen6) is the first fully-electric drivetrain to be produced at the Steyr location in Austria. (BMW)

In August, the BMW Group's Plant Steyr in Austria started producing the electric motors for its Neue Klasse EVs. The sixth-generation BMW eDrive is the first all-electric drivetrain that will be built at Steyr, and Steyr is BMW’s first production site for the Gen6 electric motor. In preparation, BMW announced in 2022 that, by 2030, the automaker would invest over a billion euros in the Steyr location to expand development and production expertise for electric motors.

The overall production concept for the Gen6 e-drive follows the principle of a modular system, making it possible to produce different highly flexible electric drivetrain derivatives for the entire range of Neue Klasse models. (BMW)

“Three years ago, we announced that we would build this electric motor in Steyr. Today, we are proud to deliver it,” said Klaus von Moltke, SVP of engine production for BMW AG and plant director at Steyr, said in a statement. “What we are launching here today is more than just a production ramp-up. It is a firm commitment to Europe, to technology and to the future.”

BMW has, unsurprisingly, improved the tech in the sixth-generation BMW eDrive (Gen6) for the EVs that will use the company’s new 800-volt vehicle architecture. There’s an updated silicon carbide (SiC) power converter integrated into the electric motor housing and the two-stage spur gearbox was improved with a physical redesign, better cooling and reduced friction.

“Energy loss is reduced by 40%, costs by 20%, and weight by 10%. All this makes a significant contribution to the approximately 20% increase in overall vehicle efficiency”, Martin Kaufmann, SVP of global powertrain development at BMW AG, said in a statement.“ The efficient design of the powertrain, together with the high energy content of the high-voltage battery, enable a range of up to 800 km (WLTP, 497 miles) in the BMW iX3, the first model of the Neue Klasse.”

The efficient design of the powertrain and the high energy content of the high-voltage battery should provide a range of up to 800 km (497 miles) in the BMW iX3. (BMW)

BMW will make the rotor, stator, transmission, and power converter for the new Gen6 motor at Plant Steyr. BMW needed to create a new in-house clean-room environment at Steyr to build the power converters. Meanwhile, the housings for the electric motor are cast at the BMW Plant Landshut aluminum foundry.

Almost 5,000 people work at Plant Steyr, which opened its doors over 40 years ago and has built around half of the engines used in all BMW and MINI vehicles today. To prepare for the Neue Klasse’s electric engine production, BMW upgrades Plant Steyr by modernizing buildings and re-engineering its processes. The automaker said around 1,000 employees will work in the new electric engine assembly section, but if EV demand remains strong enough, half of Steyr’s workforce could shift over to e-mobility efforts in the medium term. BMW said Plant Steyr will continue to make diesel and gasoline engines alongside the new Gen6 motors.

“Technology openness is our strength,” Klaus von Moltke, head of engine production at BMW AG and plant director at Steyr, said in a statement. “It gives us the necessary flexibility to secure long-term jobs. Steyr will remain the heart of our drivetrain expertise, both for combustion engines and electromobility.”