BMW cautious on bringing batteries in-house despite rising EV sales

BERLIN -- BMW will not scale up its own battery cell production for electric cars until the technology has developed further, the automaker said, taking a more cautious approach than some rivals despite record vehicle sales in 2021.

The automaker currently buys battery cells from CATL, Samsung and Northvolt among others, but is building its own pilot plant.

"We have secured our needs for the next few years very well with the partners we have," finance chief Nicolas Peter said on Thursday.

BMW would not rush to scale up its own cell production, Peter said.

"We are not yet at the point where we can say what technology will accompany us for the next 10-15 years," he said. "That's why it's important to invest a lot of resources with worldwide partners in battery cell development."

Works council chief Manfred Schoch has pushed for BMW to ramp up battery output to secure supplies and create jobs.

German rivals Volkswagen and Daimler both have direct stakes in battery cell makers.

Daimler, which holds 33 percent of Automotive Cells Company, said in July it planned to build eight gigafactories to make battery cells with partners.

Volkswagen plans to build six cell plants in Europe by the end of the decade with partners such as China's Gotion High-Tech and Northvolt, in which it has a 20 percent stake.

BMW is working to build battery assembly sites at every factory but will rely on partners for cells, Peter said.

The carmaker unseated Daimler for the first time in five years in 2021 as the world's top-selling luxury brand, delivering 2.21 million vehicles compared to Daimler's 2.05 million.

Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius has said high deliveries were not the priority under his watch, preferring to raise prices and boost margins rather than maximize the number of vehicles sold.

BMW, which has kept output high amid a global chip shortage in part because of its close ties with suppliers, was also upbeat about hitting the top end of its 9.5 percent to 10.5 percent profit margin estimate for 2021. This is slightly more cautious on margins than rivals including Daimler and Volkswagen's Audi, which expects a 9 percent to 11 percent margin for 2021.

Still, Peter said the transition to electric vehicles was moving faster than BMW had expected two to three years ago, with sales more than doubling last year and order books fuller than ever.

BMW made an early entry into electric vehicles with the i3 battery-powered hatchback but its portfolio now lags some competitors. The company plans to add an extra Saturday shift at its Munich plant from April to meet demand, a spokesperson said.