BMW Group R&D Center opens in Beijing. Comprehensive R&D Network enhances localized Innovation

Beijing. On May 15^th 2018, the BMW China R&D Center officially opened in Beijing’s Shunyi District. As a part of BMW Group Strategy NUMBER ONE > NEXT, the center is a significant step in expanding local innovation, and taking the Group’s “In China, for China and the world” localization strategy one step further.

“For us, China is a driving force of innovation, a place of inspiration particularly in the field of electrification and digitalization – we think China is the lead market in these fields already today. This is why we began five years ago to set up a comprehensive R&D network in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang. And, we expect that the increase of our Chinese R&D activities and the collaboration with more and more top class Chinese tech companies will make a strong contribution to our global R&D outcome, especially in areas such as electro mobility and digitalization.” - stated Klaus Fröhlich, Member of the Board of Management BMW AG, Development, at the opening ceremony.

Located conveniently just outside Beijing’s fifth ring road and covering an area of 17,000m², this new facility has an open office and innovative design, improving communication between R&D teams and providing inspiration for their creative work. Focussing amongst other tasks on requirement management, testing and validation as well as development of services and systems, the new space gives home for more than 200 employees – adding up to a total of more than 1,100 staff in the Chinese R&D network.

Covering a total area of 70,000 m² across the three locations, the centers cultivate local talent, with the result, that more than two thirds of the R&D professionals are Chinese. While each R&D center has different functions, they complement each other and form a comprehensive innovation network.

In 2018, BMW’s new R&D Center in Beijing will run more than 70 test vehicles across China, the testing mileage is planned for a historical high of 5 million kilometres.

The BMW Group is enhancing its systematic R&D capabilities on a global level. It is developing a customer-centric R&D system as well as future-oriented R&D concepts, that will provide the Chinese and global market with enhanced, and more innovative products and services . For the BMW Group, China is a driving force of innovation, and plays an important role in its transformation into a customer-centric technology company. 

China has been in 2017 the largest market for the BMW Group globally. With the establishment of R&D centers in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang, the Chinese R&D network is unique and by far the biggest presence of BMW R&D outside Germany.