BMW says too soon to bring battery cells in-house

BERLIN: BMW, which reported record brand sales in 2021 and is optimistic it has hit the top end of its 9.5-10.5% profit estimate, remains cautious of bringing battery cell production in-house too fast, its finance chief said today.

The carmaker, which buys battery cells from CATL, Samsung and Northvolt, among others, is building one pilot plant to produce its own cells but won't scale up until battery technology has developed further, said Nicolas Peter.

"We are not yet at the point where we can say what technology will accompany us for the next 10-15 years," he said.

"That's why it's important to invest a lot of resources with worldwide partners in battery cell development."

"We have secured our needs for the next few years very well with the partners we have."