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This Is How BMW Builds iNext Prototypes

When kicking off production of a brand new car model, especially one so radically different than what came before it, carmakers have to make sure all the pieces fit perfectly into place. And when there are so many parts to be moved into position, as is the case with the BMW iNext, preparing might take years.
BMW iNext prototype assembly process 20 photos
Photo: BMW
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The iNext is officially scheduled to go into production in 2021 at the carmaker’s facility in Dingolfing. Until then, BMW is assembling prototypes of the electric car at the so-called Pilot Plant in Munich, Germany, using the same processes that will be used when production is in full swing.

And that presents an opportunity for the carmaker to reveal a bit about the assembly process, but also to show us a glimpse of the prototypes now on the line.

First, several bodies-in-white of the prototype EVs are assembled in the bodyshop by means of a process called rotary bonding – it is used to join aluminum and high-strength steel using the heat generated when one material is passed through the other.

Once the bodies are assembled, lasers are used to pinpoint surface characteristics and make measurements. A scanner is also used to compare the physical body of the car with the CAD model stored in computers.

The vehicles then move forward on the assembly line to undergo other processes the carmaker did not detail.

By the time the actual production version iNext gets here, BMW hopes to build 100 prototypes at the test facility.

“By the time of the official start of production, we will have built as many as 100 prototypes of the BMW iNEXT,” said in a statement Udo Hänle, the head of BMW’s Pilot Plant.

“Until then, the Pilot Plant will use a range of new innovations to streamline and speed up our processes even further.

The iNext is based on the Vision iNext concept shown last year. It will be powered by a yet unspecified electric powertrain that should give it a range of about 600 km (372 miles).

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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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