Building the BMW iX3: A tour of BMW's space-age China factory | SUBSCRIBE TO FULLY CHARGED

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BMW have been making cars for decades and got off to a strong electric start with the i3 and i8, but since then they've been a little quiet. Until now.
Elliot visits the BMW Brilliance factory in Shenyang, China, to see the manufacturing process of their new iX3 electric car. This will be a significant car for BMW, and the UK version currently being produced in this factory will arrive in a few months when we'll review it in full.
BMW clearly have a strong electric ambition and it's particularly interesting to see a legacy automakers production process of EVs alongside their ICE counterparts, in a factory that is powered 100% by renewable energy. Could the iX3 be the car to take BMW to the next electric level?
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Timestamps:
0:00 BMW Brilliance
1:28 Strong start
2:00 Global iX3 production
2:44 EV next to ICE
3:02 Robotic zoo
4:50 Shipped & flipped
5:58 300-400 cars a day
7:30 Calm & quiet
8:26 Mix & match
9:59 Mega robots
11:07 Body & battery
12:41 End of the line
13:23 100% renewable
14:18 Significant car
15:27 Subscribe, support, join
#ElectricVehicles #ElectricCars #CleanEnergy #BMW #BMWiX3 #BMWelectric #BMWEV #BMWElectricCar #BMWiX BMWiX3Review #BMWi3 #BMWi8 #BMWBrilliance #China #BMWFactory #ChineseEVs #ChineseTechnology

[@fullychargedshow]

What do you think about the new iX3? Will it be the EV to take BMW to the next level? Tell us below...

[@greggb681]

It's fucking pathetic. An electric car deserves a platform built from the ground up to be a dedicated EV platform.

[@angela1984a]

@@greggb681 The bigger problem for me is that the iX3 is an SUV. That means that it wastes resources and energy at production compared to say something that would have looked like a 3-series touring. And of course - it will continue to waste resources and energy during it's entire life span. All of this is especially good for all the cute little kids on this planet...

[@patrickjr11]

@@angela1984a Its certainly a shame that they did not start with the salons first, but SUVs are the car of the decade so it makes sense for BMW to start there. It is going to take customers actually changing their buying habits before the OEMs start to change their making habits. We only have ourselves to blame.

[@angela1984a]

@@patrickjr11 Don't blame me. I've never bought an SUV. And I never will.

[@thksthks]

Too much sucking up to legacy dragging it’s feet towards the future. You’re fully charged. Half ev, half petrol.

[@glenf4115]

The i3 exists. "The iX3 is BMW's first electric vehicle" At least qualify it with "that is made in china" or "that is a large SUV/SAV".

[@andreasklossek9252]

Ok, so not only the chips are made in china ^^

[@rogerstarkey5390]

He spent the first 5(?) minutes telling you that.

[@bigboldbicycle]

That's baffling me too, it's obviously not their first full electric car. He either meant "made in China" or "in a long time" or "this decade".

[@glenf4115]

​@@rogerstarkey5390 He started and ended with this being their first EV: 1:35 14:17 He says they got off to a strong start with the i3 and i8 at the beginning: 1:25 Maybe they do not consider the i3 an EV as it could have a range extender.

[@Demander65]

He said “full electric vehicle” not “electric vehicle”. I3 had petrol options for range extension and i8 was effectively a PHEV.

[@flyer152]

The BMW iX3 is not their first BEV, that goes to the BMW i3.

[@andreasklossek9252]

Exactly!

[@kevfquinn]

Was thinking exactly the same! "First full electric vehicle from BMW"? I got mine in 2016.

[@affenkonig07]

The i3 was also available as a „hybrid“ with an ICE range extender. So technically it was not 100% BEV…

[@kevfquinn]

@@affenkonig07 That argument doesn't begin to cut it, compared to the this - which is also a full up ICE vehicle!

[@pd4165]

@@affenkonig07 I could put a Honda generator in the back of a Tesla - et voila - a Tesla that isn't a BEV (according to your logic). Take the range extender out of an i3...does it still work? Yes, it's an i3 missing an optional extra. Take the ICE out of a Prius and it stops very quickly. Prius is a hybrid. i3 is an EV.

[@roebbu]

"there's only very few minor differences" (between petrol and electric version). Says it all...

[@itsfahys]

But that makes it much more cost effective to produce having the same Equipment to build the models with different drive trains. I drive the Hyundi Ioniq 28kwh bev the most efficient ev on the market yet it comes in 3 specs Hybrid, phev and bev

[@BugMagnet]

@Author B.L. Alley Only if they were going to only sell EVs which is still a comparably small market. For BMW it makes sense to pursue a more Kona kind of approach since they don't have the massive volumes of VW et. al.

[@JRMCNEA]

They do that with cars already Nissan Rogue has 3 different specs with who knows how many trem types. All car manufacturers have multi versions of their cars.

[@rickybryan1759]

I bet the car makers can’t wait to design purely electric models so everything doesn’t have to be double engineered. Shows why the push SUVs though with that extra space to package the multiple components.

[@barryw9473]

@@JRMCNEA Not MEB platform.

[@anydaynow01]

By far one of the best rundowns of the build process! Elliot's presentation style is refreshingly calm and informative.

[@wjustinmartin]

seems canned - obviously rehearsed, but almost a “homer” vibe is this the new host?

[@jameschilton3556]

Impressive factory but why not design a purely electric car instead of compromising. A transmission tunnel seems like a waste of space?

[@busog97641]

Excellent comment/question.

[@therealctoo4183]

When a company is committed to failing, compromises like that are SOP.

[@rogerstarkey5390]

The argument would be (like Ford) that they can use the "parts bin" to reduce transition costs. Unfortunately for them that leads to compromise which may effect sales.

[@Fredescu]

They have both. The i4 and the iX are purely electric cars.

[@paulw575]

@@Fredescu Look at the video @11:15, you can see the chassis has a transmission tunnel that is being lowered onto a battery pack. Maybe they should line the transmission tunnel and use it as extra storage... But it's a compromise that they have made by using a single production line, which is what James is referring to.

[@luishenriquerotermundkreis5849]

@13:15 that dude closing the bonnet is just like, fack can't wait to get home! lol

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

The BMW University for the Export of all Institutional Knowledge to the Companies That Will Crush Them in Years to Come.

[@teofilol2666]

You'll get crushed because you're thinking too highly of yourself, just saying

[@stefanf2740]

So we're just going to ignore the magic floating bowl at 8:40?

[@rogerstarkey5390]

Stefan F "Alien technology"!!

[@accesser]

Yes that got my attention also

[@mark_5588]

That's a mirror so pedestrians and equipment drivers on the ground floor can see around intersections for safety. These are at every potentially blind corner in every plant.

[@stevehayward2533]

Its a shame t see that transmission tunnel go right down through the centre, what a waste of space.

[@logicalChimp]

Yup - 'benefits' of making EV and ICE share the same platform.... sigh

[@JRMCNEA]

What exactly would you put in that space?

[@xxwookey]

@@JRMCNEA My feet, some food, the toolbox, rope, wellies, charge controller etc. Loads of stuff. I've had a flat-floor vehicle since 2002 and it really is very nice. Transmission tunnel on a BEV is a massive waste of space.

[@cachem11]

@@JRMCNEA The feet of the pathetic mid passenger.

[@stevehayward2533]

@@JRMCNEA A flat floor inside the cab aka like all dedicated EV's. The transmission tunnel takes up space INSIDE the cabin

[@eltzrothm1]

I don't think I've ever seen a car factory tour when some guy is allowed in every room of the place, giving a self-guided tour. Unbelievable access.

[@Phantom0309]

Self guided??? You mean nobody is behind the camera telling him what to say at each station, come on think.

[@eltzrothm1]

@@Phantom0309 oh I'm sure he learned everything ahead of time. But he's just walking around people working. I don't think that tour is open to the public. How bout that?

[@Phantom0309]

@@eltzrothm1 of course it isn't open to the public, it's a PR exercise for BMW. In reality how many production facilities like this are open to the public? It's not the type of environment to have people wandering all over.

[@eltzrothm1]

@@Phantom0309 Yeah. It's cool that we can see it

[@David-qs5ii]

@@Phantom0309 The BMW MINI factory in Oxford has public tours.

[@MrAndrew941]

I’m not a fan of that massive transmission tunnel.

[@jakobnev5973]

BMW knows their customers, the tunnel will be used by drug smugglers.

[@kristiane8197]

Get over it... 😉

[@MrPDawes]

@@jakobnev5973 Pretend transmission tunnel. Get more drugs in now.

[@jimporter7418]

Tesla Bjorn in Norway has already tested it and it seems like a lovely car which happens to be an EV as well

[@rogerstarkey5390]

Jim Porter Has Bjørn driven it? He did a walk around in the showroom, I haven't seen a road test.

[@edenviews]

@@rogerstarkey5390 He did lots of driving with it.

[@Fredescu]

@@rogerstarkey5390 The walk around the showroom was for the iX. He did his full range of tests with the iX3

[@paultaylor9881]

@@rogerstarkey5390 Look on his channel he drove it to the Arctic circle and back. He stated he would buy one, if he wasn't such a Tesla Fanboy. It also did brilliant on range in NAF testing, went 66 miles more than WLTP.

[@zacb4874]

13:15 - Great craftsmanship slamming the bonnet closed!

[@LeeOades]

I must admit that the recent Fully Charged videos, especially Elliot's and Helen's have really elevated the overall quality of the shows. Excellent work, FC team!

[@nomoreheroes93]

Agreed, I know they're consumer focused too but as an EV & battery engineer I find them hugely informative. I would add when Elliot makes mistakes though (iX3 isn't BMW's first EV) @fullychargedshow should add text to the screen correcting him, or just edit it out.

[@andrejdrame9641]

?yoke

[@ewheelerfinland]

Just a hint; most of the modern car factories in Europe are just as "space age" as this one.

[@ewheelerfinland]

@Capt Shiny The way Elliot is talking about things in China, implies, that he's either stayed there far too long, or has absolutely no clue about the current automotive industry standards elsewhere. That was my point.

[@bimblinghill]

@@ewheelerfinland Indeed. Any mass-market production line built in the UK since about 2000 would look pretty similar. I'd guess that the same could be said for the rest of the world.

[@aaucky]

Didn't see them install any indicators 🧐 maybe it's not BMW driver's fault

[@the1beard]

Wasn't the i3 the first ev bmw?

[@xcadas]

the 1602 was the first EV from BMW, the i3 was the first production EV

[@pedroSilesia]

Nio and Xpeng will destroy German premium in China. The level of service and technology they have are big advantages. Germans only have a brand.

[@andreasklossek9252]

Since when is the iX3 the first all electric car from BMW? Forgot the I3, that has been made for years?

[@mamadouaziza2536]

And before the i3 there was an electric BMW from the late 1980s.. The i3 is BMW's first all electric car put into mass production, purposely built as an EV.

[@palsteinarberg1242]

They have just made over 200 000 i3s, so that probably doesen't count...

[@changegumede8691]

As a BMW supporter I'm giving them a high five on this one. They're always excelling when coming to production. I just cant wait to drive BMW Ix3.

[@WEZ4136]

The only issue I have with this as a BMW fan also, is that BMW will be having these vehicles built at a massively reduced cost only to charge the eu and uk customers what seems to be double if not even more than what they actually cost including shipping. Sorry but when you have many other companies building in China that are reducing their cost to customer I find it leaves a very bad taste in the mouth and a cloud of doubt over over the ethical choices made by BMW as a company.

[@YeZhik5]

Super fascinating! I love automation and stream lined processes. Removes room for error, improves safety, quality and productivity.

[@barrydoherty636]

And jobs.

[@guycocoa211]

With all of the automated assembly technologies cutting down on the need for human labor where are the cost savings? The price of cars keeps going up.

[@SvenIffert]

It's not about cost savings. The robots are expensive. It's about repeatable precision.

[@tren133]

Have car prices gone up over time though? A 1990 Honda Civic LX (which was quite barebones mind you) had a list price of $10,450, which is equivalent of $21,500 in 2021 dollars after inflation. A brand new 2021 Honda Civic starts at ... $21,250. Not only is the price the same, the 21 Civic is bigger, faster, safer, more fuel efficient, and infinitely better equipped than the 1990 version.

[@dot7107]

If they want sell these cars in china, they "might" need to produce those in china also... Like tesla does

[@edwilko8819]

most people these days only look at the monthly price as 85% of new cars sild are lease & pcp

[@w0nd3rlu573r]

I can't help but notice that despite all the modular assembly options an electric car still ended with the central console needed for the gearbox and driveshaft, which it will never use... Unless you're Uncle Rich :D

[@KarlsGeoguessrAbenteuer]

Well. Not needed for components inside, correct. But the tunnel is quite important for the rigidity of the chassis. You cannot just cut it away. You would need to redesign the whole structural integrity of the car, if you want to get rid of it.

[@rustybkts]

@@KarlsGeoguessrAbenteuer Tesla use the battery box.

[@KarlsGeoguessrAbenteuer]

@@rustybkts yes. but Tesla designed the car with the battery in mind. This car is basically and ICE car with a retrofitted battery.

[@paultaylor9881]

It has batteries inside it, so actually good use of space.

[@lorenzmuller4000]

@@KarlsGeoguessrAbenteuer No it’s not. It’s a car designed for ICE AND battery’s in mind. That’s a big difference. The CLAR architecture is made for both drive trains, it’s NOT a converted ICE vehicle.

[@CharlesBudd]

Fascinating stuff, and you're such a good presenter Elliot.

[@richardhathaway2901]

It looks like something that was designed fifteen years ago and recently converted to electric.

[@stefanweilhartner4415]

yes, and this is why their X3 series is a top seller

[@willielarsson9651]

@@stefanweilhartner4415 good answer.. not all EVs need to look futuristic

[@willielarsson9651]

I received my carbon black ix3 last week and I've had quite a few chats people admiring the look of the car , including an Jag EV driver. Its a lot nicer than a stock X3

[@littleadventure2585]

As an employee of a 3 letter car maker I'd like to say how much I was delighted by the talking points you guys must have been paid for!! Congrats on that income.

[@rogerstarkey5390]

Butthurt much?

[@littleadventure2585]

@@rogerstarkey5390 I don't understand what you mean. You seem to be misunderstanding my comment.

[@littleadventure2585]

@Capt Shiny again, not what I said. I was talking about the provided language used, you know, the wording... Nothing to do with promoting anything.

[@hankthetank185]

Great video as always Elliot. Love the robots and how efficient and green this factory is. Just wish I could afford one of these BMWs.

[@leifhietala8074]

"That's the weight of the entire Eiffel Tower on the stamping press. WHAT." Elliot, appropriately gobsmacked.

[@markthomasson5077]

Shame he does know the difference between weight and pressure

[@jxmai7687]

it can press Eiffel Tower into A4 size just for fun.

[@rogerstarkey5390]

@@markthomasson5077 Oh... The ISO police are here.

[@tavitlertritsumpun7160]

I was expecting the camera to move about but pleasantly surprised to find that camera kept still. It's quite a task to condense the whole working processes into a few minutes video and expect to be in logical order. Good job on that although a whole lot was omitted such as all the interior and painting etc.

[@ronaldl9085]

Very impressive! Thanks for the tour!

[@tomattime]

The front of the car, a tiny pair of sunglasses on a large face! Terrific episode 👍

[@nickj7774]

Impressive plant. Thank you for sharing.

[@garethedwards2883]

Thanks for another great interesting video from China, well presented as usual.

[@obsidianstatue]

Interesting, so even when the manufacturing process is fairly automated, the production still stays in China, even for production lines that makes cars for the UK. Benefits of having a comprehensive and all encompassing supply chain. The result of having a government that doesn't go out of their way to deindustrialize their country.

[@flx4305]

It is produced in China, not because of labour cost anymore, it is produced where it is sold the most => China Also, everything is not produced in China, as it is said in the video, the motor is still shipped from Germany.

[@whitneylake2107]

Nice tour. Thanks

[@yehancha]

Great one Elliot! Enjoyed and learnt all the way.

[@onlineo2263]

A fluff piece, good for BMW pr.... But damn it is interesting to watch the car manufacturing process and have Elliot explain it to us. A job well done. Thank you.

[@nomoreheroes93]

When have you ever seen a tour round a manufacturing line that's in any way critical? I've watched 20+ videos of EV walkaround as a battery engineer and none of them are, just having the access is useful.

[@williamclark6466]

Brilliant!!! Kudos to everyone involved in producing this very nice video and the new BMW iX3. Well done!

[@willielarsson9651]

These places are incredible

[@Petelmrg]

Great presentation of a fantastic facility - only let-down is that all that effort is going in to produce a half-hearted ICE compromise that looks like two bricks stacked on top of each other. The Koreans must be very pleased...

[@MrFoxRobert]

Thank you!

[@willielarsson9651]

Really enjoyed this. Great work

[@williampleace7148]

Not wanting to be negative but this episode felt more like an advert.

[@sgtunix]

Well, they are sponsored, so the review has to be positive.

[@stefanweilhartner4415]

yessssss. exactly what i thought. and i am sure their plastic - which is everywhere in these cars - is very sustainable when dumped in the ocean

[@sgtunix]

@Capt Shiny I think the non-China part of Fully Charged is independent. But anything related to China is somehow biased. Maybe not directly sponsored, but it is fishy in some way or another. That's not to say it's not worth doing it. I guess Fully Charged is being pragmatic here and just making it work within the constraints of the system.

[@OmgEinfachNurOmg]

Why? If you would be shown the inside of a tesla factory, you would just say "wow, amazing, how futuristic"

[@sgtunix]

@@OmgEinfachNurOmg Um, not if it's in China.

[@Joseph-jy5lz]

Excellent review of the factory. It will be interesting to see the test drive in the UK

[@bibliotek42]

I had the pleasure of going round the BMW factory outside München a few years ago, and this looks exactly like that - even the visitor's centre seems to have been duplicated. I loved it, as I think, did Elliot! Regarding the car - it does seem to have a very obvious, enormous and (for the EV) superfluous transmission tunnel running right down it.

[@cachem11]

Many Chinese people always believe the Made in China BMWs are not as good as Germany or US made ones. But my friend at BMW told me this Shenyang factory produces the best quality among all BMW manufacturing plants.

[@kumbackquatsta]

best presenter and content on fullycharged

[@bal20]

Another fantastic video, nice looking car too!

[@paulojorgesoares3302]

As always great reporting. Keep !

[@pakosouthpark]

great song by the editor too! or whoever chose it. great video!

[@kamentabakov5302]

I don't know if it's in the checklist, but what a hood slam in the background 😁

[@kevinisaac9139]

Brilliant video what an amazing factory 👍👌

[@yourspineandbrain4805]

Great video!!!

[@otleyshev68]

1, not a BMW fan … 2. The i3 I love . Fantastic car infact best car they have made 3, the i8 sort of like it even tho it’s got a engine arrrr why .. 4, love how you guys have put this show together fab & fantastic congratulations the quality of the pictures are like nothing I’ve ever seen looks like 4K ?? High definition A+ I would be flabbergasted 😮 if you please got a few episodes of the inside of the Tesla factory cars been built ? ⚡️🙌🏾🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽❤️❤️❤️❤️ and also a video a car assembly guy / woman you go back to there home n talk to there family & see if they have kids bet they say they love Tesla & are proud of there parents . Thankyou for the great show guys 👍👌🥰

[@richardwhitehouse8762]

Nice vid, Elliot. It made me feel nostalgic for my first job, which was in marketing for Vauxhall in Luton in the 80s. I used to love taking people round the factory. There is something that just awakens the awe-struck kid in you. In some ways the whole process looked very familiar but of course the technology is at a completely different level. Given that German engineering and production are central to the brand promise, I am really interested by the location of the factory. It seems hard to imagine that the robots are Chinese (maybe they are), so they must be expensive to import. I can only surmise that they were offered amazing incentives in terms of site and tax breaks to go there. I'm wondering (say it quietly) if the decision was just about lower unit costs of production or whether they think the cars will actually be better made in China rather than Germany. Maybe it doesn't matter if you are upfront about where the cars are built but I do remember the hot water Mercedes got into when it emerged that some of their "German" cars were actually assembled in Mexico. Can't wait to see what the car is like.

[@yukonishihara9822]

Because X3 sold in China accounted for half of the world. It is also related to China's battery suppliers and China's electric vehicle production policy. If a car company does not produce enough electric vehicles in China, the company will pay a lot of money to buy production points.

[@dirksinger1763]

Thank you

[@jbmaru]

If you think your job is meaningless, remember that in... China, there's a bloke fitting indicators to a BMW.

[@northcountryman]

Hahaha ha!!

[@pauladams5673]

I have enjoyed all of Elliot's videos from China.

[@accesser]

Excellent presentation and editing

[@dplummer35]

How can making a motor in Germany, shipping it over to China, then shipping it back to UK inside a car be more efficient. Why not make the motor in the same factory as the car?

[@gadgetgasspoll2923]

Good question

[@HEY8461]

Usually because of specialised manufacturing techniques. It could be because of large scale equipment which is already set up in Germany and also used elsewhere, there's no point also setting it up in China if you have other customers too

[@logicalChimp]

@@HEY8461 Given that BMW will need to transition to EVs fairly quickly, it would make sense to build an extra factory in CHina, to feed this factory... and then use the motor factory in Germany to feed the EVs made in their German factories...

[@jxmai7687]

That motor could be made by other factory not directly under BMW.

[@ericxu3860]

China is the largest car market and manufacturer…. It is all about economic scale which improves the efficiency….that is why Asia is the future and the jobs in manufacturing will never be able to go back to the USA

[@unclezeppy]

That's a good video of how manufacturers are trying to move from the ICE to EVs. I got a bit lucky and ended up talking to a mould maker that used to work for Audi Foshan factory. Got a good lesson about how the chassis is made. In short EVs give you freedom to redesign the whole lower body frame and only Tesla is now doing it right and have bought all the mega casting machines. What it means is Tesla can make the chassis about 30% cheaper, and the battery pack will also be 20% cheaper. That in return means that even BMW must compete with price, you will not want a slower, heavier, less range, lower quality, car for 2x price. I know several former BMW owners that have bought Tesla, NIO, Xpeng or BYD cars, and they have all said exactly the same thing: "I bought xx because BMW didn't have anything to offer AND it will take them a long time to come up with a competitive EV that is up to their standards and clearly better than my xx." They were very concerned about the resale value, if the car already has outdated design and cost 2x how about 3 years from now when you sell it? Worth maybe ¼? BMW buyers buy hi-tech sports cars and like to talk about specs and engineering. Mercedes Benz is more about luxury and status. Therefore BMW has a lot on stake and the EV world evolves very fast at least here in China.

[@DSON89]

That looks cool.

[@andymcvean9631]

Another great vid from China...

[@mikefealey5221]

Impressive

[@scottwilliamsgsd]

Can't wait until September to take delivery of mine. After seeing that black one at the end, I'm so glad I've not got the blue accents!

[@rogerstarkey5390]

"BEAVER!!!!"

[@stoner27th]

with that oversized jacket you somewhat reminded me of The Ancient One on Avengers Endgame.

[@brentgregory1359]

awesome video

[@ccooper8785]

Oh, it's being made in China.... does that mean bmw will be giving us a discount from their usual OTT pricing ???? Yeah, thought not.

[@jorgeeduardoabrilrodriguez9026]

Amazing process and wonderful electric suv. Congratulations about the video.

[@jamesgilbart148]

Fascinating production process. At £40k, the existing BMW i3 is very expensive for a smallish car. It will be interesting to see what the price of the iX3 will be.

[@i679n5]

It's approximately +100% towards the i3.

[@mamadouaziza2536]

In the USA the top of the line i3S is $60k and people are still buying it and leasing it.

[@willielarsson9651]

As a company car driver, it makes sense to get an EV, and zero BIK tax. I also wanted an SUV shape and BMW were giving my fleet dept a great deal on this car, so it's worked out well. To be honest if budget wasn't an option I'd have gone for the Etron, but it was very pricey by the time you add the extra toys.

[@dxutube]

Amazing multi-oscillator sawtooth

[@peterreynolds777]

Is that how to shut the bonnet 😱 beautiful car but I want an X5 Electric 👏🏻👏🏻 💪🏻💪🏻 🙏🏻 I love ❤️ my X5 ❤️

[@SM_TheTraveller]

Love it

[@westermolad]

Considering this is a new BMW EV I found the design to be bland and uninspiring, compared to the i3 and i8, but maybe that's the point.....just another expensive SUV that happens to be an EV.

[@stefanweilhartner4415]

they produce what sells. the x3 is one of their top sellers.

[@kattpuzn]

You'd be surprised how people are skeptical of new things. So this looks like the safe old alternative, but with new tech

[@vintage474]

Can we get a tour of giga Shanghai???

[@vintage474]

@Saffron Terror Hindu Fascism No there is tours of giga nevada. But no walk through of shanghai like what these guys do. There are just videos of parts of it.

[@brunomadeira8432]

I have driven the iX3 several times, you can say whatever you want about what it is based on and I will agree because you can't deny facts but driving it is a much more enjoyable car than the ID.4 which even has a bordering on cheap feel. Even on "EV" things it is very well thought out namely for exemple its regen. It is fair to say that the real competitor to it would be more like a iX1 but without more options comparisons will be a bit rough for some time.

[@cachem11]

How does it compare to the Model Y? The price of iX3 in China is heavily discounted right now. The base model, which is very nicely equipped, is selling for around US$54,000. Cheaper than the base petrol X3 that has only 184hp.

[@brunomadeira8432]

@@cachem11 I'm European, I haven't driven a Model Y, just the 3. Here the iX3 is also very well equipped by any standards, its normal trim looks more like a typical X5 with some options than an X3 but it is still more expensive than a Model 3 LR which I find an overall better EV despite its interior and quality limitations.

[@sportsandentertainment4992]

Nice arrengement

[@madharaboy]

Sometime in the near future: A tour of China's space-age BMW factory since ancient times😄 Jokes aside, this is pretty cool.

[@lhunt480]

Another amazing car factory, though this time rather slower than most. The robots the same as in the South Carolina BMW factory and as interesting as the cars they make.. Watch the guy slam the bonnet near the end, Ooo.

[@ozvikings]

Thanks! Brilliant, as a former owner of a BMW i3, this vehicle is far nicer without the suicide doors

[@mamadouaziza2536]

Its heavier too and not as sporty..

[@outdoorolli5754]

@@mamadouaziza2536, have you driven the iX3?

[@mamadouaziza2536]

@@outdoorolli5754 No I have not. I don't like heavy cars or gas cars that have been converted to electric.

[@outdoorolli5754]

@@mamadouaziza2536, since the iX3 has been developed from scratch for fuel-cells as well as battery-electric propulsion, internal combustion and hybrid-electric propulsion, it is no converted gas car, but a multi-mode-propulsion platform. And of course the iX3 is much more comfy, has a surprisingly good handling and has lots more internal space than an i3.

[@jeremylister89]

Should get rid of the transmission tunnel on EVs. How hard can it be?

[@cachem11]

not hard, just cost money.

[@mamadouaziza2536]

Because it a gas car with the gas tank and gas engine removed.

[@alanrickett2537]

@@cachem11 of which the EV makes very little

[@TheLisarazou]

this guy is my favourite expat lol

[@johnl1945]

Thanks, really well done, as usual. What do u think of the castings compared to what we are seeing about Tesla’s Giga presses? Similar?

[@martingorbush2944]

There were no casting but just 10T press.

[@johnpublicprofile6261]

Not really an electric car, more like a electric conversion of an ICE car. But good luck to them anyway. Great vid though.

[@doctorlovera]

Just like the vehicle, the factory of the electric vehicle is quiter than the factory of the gas version. Interesting. IWHNG

[@krazywatch7913]

Thanks for this video however I cannot help thinking that Tesla is building cars in Germany for the European market... how would China's production be more sustainable than local production?

[@markeaton6734]

Another great episode, sadly it's a disappointing EV effort from BMW still and I think they are going to lose out to the Chinese and other companies that are actually serious about going electric.

[@cachem11]

Their i4 is pretty good from the look.

[@mamadouaziza2536]

@@cachem11 The i4 is a 4 Series with the engine and gas tank removed.

[@xc43t]

Nice video as always. One big issue though. They talk about sustainability but they still ship tons of parts from all over the world (engines from Germany), have an assembly in China and then ship the product back to Europe. That's just silly.

[@johndoyle4723]

Thanks, beautiful factory and production line, German design, with China manufacture. I personally think the specsavers grill is ugly, and converted ICE cars are behind the curve here, dedicated EV platforms are the future. Large electric SUVs are rare, so there is a big market. Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq and Tesla and VW ID range, and others are EVs designed from the ground up.

[@AilikeLi]

What???? Damn, I missed your visit to BBA! Gutted... Perhaps round 2 when the new plant opens in Tiexi?

[@buzzofftoxicblog791]

LOVE THE BMW I3 Just got our second i3 from a 33kw 2018 i3 to a 42kw 2021 i3s but the i3 program was exciting the i3x mmmmm bit of to much old technology ice tin and BIG BONNET AND NO FROUNK 😱😱😱mmmmm but good to see BMW finally ditch TOXIC FOSSIL FUEL☠️⛽☠️🔥. . 🌍😆😎 COOL i3 cool

[@greyareaRK1]

The factory is far more impressive than the vehicle design. The size and speed of some of those robots is intimidating.

[@nabeelmajeed4815]

For seeing that it has a Cadillac escalade ESV Electric like the 2020

[@mikeyonwin8195]

Meccano kits are also available from Amazon. Oh, how the world is changing.

[@mahargrekab]

Excellent episode 👍🏼 I wonder why they put a huge grill on the front that’s not only not functional but not needed either?

[@AleksandarStefanovic]

Well, I assume it's because it shares most of the parts with the ICE variant, so it was simpler just to reuse the existing parts. Also, front kidney grills are a part of the BMW brand, even the ground-up EV, the i3, has a fake grill in the front for branding purposes...

[@mahargrekab]

I think any grill is going to look dated very very soon!

[@AleksandarStefanovic]

@@mahargrekab yeah, surely

[@guerro327]

I can’t wait for Sandy Monroe to take one of these apart.

[@JohnAdams-kc8wx]

Great video Elliot, please try and get around the Tesla factory !!

[@logik100.0]

Elliot is a pro. Very well presented.

[@Paul_]

Thanks for this film. I've nothing against seeing Elliot in shot - but lots more close-ups of the robots and workers doing their thing would have been an improvement. That said I suppose Elliot and his camera operator didn't get a lot of time at each station to film different angles etc..

[@reapertheunique]

I presume this was done because BMW doesn't want to expose too much of their factory and process to the outside world for the competition to see.