Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG Oliver Zipse attends an event at the Auto Shanghai show, in Shanghai, China April 18, 2023. The Neue Klasse, to be launched in 2025, is at the heart of the carmaker's efforts to replicate past successes and catch up with EV pioneer Tesla (TSLA.O), which is also staging a return to the IAA this year. "We are very profitable with electric cars ... already today," Zipse told reporters, adding that the Neue Klasse - or New Class - would be "very profitable. Production of the new platform will start at the group's factory in Debrecen, Hungary, where BMW is investing 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in new battery-making and assembly operations for the Neue Klasse. Development of the Neue Klasse is targeting to reduce battery pack costs by half and achieve 25% more range per kilowatt-hour, a key measure of efficiency, executives have said.

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Persons: BMW AG Oliver Zipse, Aly, Oliver Zipse, Zipse, Christina Amann, Christoph Steitz, Helen Popper, David Holmes Organizations: Management, BMW AG, Auto, REUTERS, BMW, IAA, Neue, Tesla, Thomson Locations: Auto Shanghai, Shanghai, China, MUNICH, Munich, Debrecen, Hungary, Mexico