By ROBERT BIRKENSTEIN, Associated Press: BMW Motorrad, the German automaker that has made the most famous electric cars in the world since the late 1990s, will open its new factory in California next month with an overhaul of its aluminum production lines and plans to open a new factory next year with a new lineup of bikes and a larger-scale production facility.
The move is part of a broader turnaround plan BMW announced Friday as it rolled out its new U.S. operations, which will include new models like the i3, the i8 and the i9.
The new factories will produce about 1 million vehicles a year for BMW and its dealers, which make more than 10 million vehicles.
The announcement also includes a new marketing campaign, with ads targeting young consumers who will see a new range of BMWs, including a line of limited-edition cars and a line that offers a range of new technology, such as the electric power steering and the all-electric BMW X3.
It was the first time the company has released such a wide-ranging strategy in nearly a decade.
The company is working on the cars in California, where the U.K.-based company has made its name for building cars that run on electric power.
The U.KS.-based BMW Motorcycles Ltd.
and BMW S.A. are also making electric bikes.
The i3 will be the first of the new line of BMW motorcycles that will offer the same range of power, braking and acceleration as the i2, a BMW model from 2005.
BMW also is moving to make its i8 electric bike.
The X3, which debuted in the U