BMW has announced that construction has begun on an expansion of its factory in San Luis Potosí, central Mexico.

The 80,000 sq m extension will make high-voltage batteries for the company’s Neue Klasse line, which BMW says will have faster charging speeds and extend the cars’ ranges by 30%.

Milan Nedeljković, head of production the German car-maker, said in a press statement that the plant would become part of BMW’s global production network for EVs.

He said: “For our new sixth-generation e-drive alone, we are building five locations on three continents. Locating battery factories close to vehicle manufacturing makes production more resilient.”

In 2018, BMW announced it would build an assembly plant in Hungary, which will also manufacture Neue Klasse vehicles when it opens in 2025.

The plant in San Luis Potosí began production in 2019, with employees working on petrol cars. Nicole Haft-Zboril, BMW’s head of real estate management, said: “In Mexico, we are planning to expand the photovoltaic systems within the plant, to double the output from the solar panels.

“The plan is to generate more than 20% of the electricity we need at the moment directly on the factory premises."