BMW Group’s Hams Hall engine plant, near Birmingham, is supplying engines for the latest version of the electrified i8, the roadster, now on sale.
The Midlands plant has produced i8 Coupe engines since 2014. Now the plant will supply – to BMW’s Leipzig assembly plant in eastern Germany – engines for the new convertible and updated i8 coupe.
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Hams Hall is the only group factory producing the I3 with TwinPower Turbo which is combined with an electric motor for a plug-in hybrid drive system.
“It’s fantastic that our plant is able to play a part in the group’s electrified strategy,” said plant director Bernd Gress.
“We are proud to have already contributed to the i8 coupe as well as supplying engines for two other BMW and Mini hybrid models.”
The turbocharged engine, with direct injection and variable valve timing, produces 170 kW/231hp from 1.5 litres, plus peak torque of 320Nm (236lb ft).
Total system output is 275kW/374hp.
Hand-built by a small team of the plant’s top engine workers, the i8 engines are assembled on a dedicated line, recently expanded and enhanced to increase production capability for more engine types.
Production of engines this year is expected to peak over 350,000 units with machining of key engine components – for assembly in other group plants outside the UK) likely to top 1.4m parts this year.
Hams Hall, a former power plant site, opened in 2001 and has since produced about 4.5m engines. Crankshafts, cylinder blocks and cylinder heads are machined at the plant for local engine production as well as supply to other group engine plants.
The plant employs around 1,000 people and output accounted for just over 11% of UK engine production in 2017.
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