The BMW Group announced on November 9, 2026, that it has contracted Samsung SDI and LG Energy Solution as additional suppliers for its sixth-generation high-voltage batteries. Samsung SDI will supply battery cells from Europe, while LG Energy Solution will provide cells from the United States. Deliveries from established regional plants are scheduled to begin in the late 2020s.
The contracts are part of BMW Group’s “local for local” purchasing strategy, under which components are sourced near vehicle production wherever possible. The company said regional sourcing is intended to reduce transportation distances, strengthen local value creation and improve supply security while maintaining a diversified global supplier network.
Following the latest supplier selections, BMW Group plans to source European-produced cells from Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), EVE Energy and Samsung SDI. LG Energy Solution will supply the automaker in the United States. “Our global partner network with leading cell manufacturers ensures that we have a resilient, flexible and competitive battery cell supply,” said Hendrik Lang, Head of Purchasing and Quality of High-Voltage Batteries at BMW AG.
The localization strategy also covers Gen6 high-voltage battery assembly. BMW Group has built five production facilities close to vehicle plants in Irlbach-Straßkirchen in Lower Bavaria, Debrecen in Hungary, Shenyang in China, Woodruff in the United States and San Luis Potosí in Mexico. The company said this arrangement keeps distances between cell suppliers, battery assembly facilities and vehicle plants short.
BMW Group is also maintaining internal battery expertise through three competence centers in Bavaria. Its Battery Cell Competence Center in Munich evaluates future cell technologies, while the Cell Manufacturing Competence Center in Parsdorf studies production quality and resource efficiency and manufactures near-series cells for testing. The Cell Recycling Competence Center in Salching will recover raw materials through BMW Group’s direct recycling method and return them to the production process.
Source: BMW Group localises battery cell supply chains in Europe and the US.
