BMW Korea Breaks Ground on New R&D Center in Cheongna International City

BMW Group Korea announced on the 15th that it has started construction this month on a new BMW R&D (Research & Development) center in Cheongna International City.

The BMW R&D Center Korea, first established in 2015 within the Incheon BMW Driving Center, is the fifth R&D facility worldwide within the BMW Group, following the United States, China, Japan, and Brazil. It is a place where future mobility technologies based on electrification, autonomous driving, and digitalization are developed.

BMW Group Korea has decided to expand and relocate the BMW R&D Center Korea. This is to provide solutions and mobility services better optimized for the Korean market and to further strengthen cooperation with domestic companies, universities, and government research institutions. To this end, in December 2021, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Incheon City and the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZ) for the construction of the new BMW R&D Center. Earlier this year, after completing the land lease contract and obtaining building permits, construction began with the goal of completion in 2024.

BMW Korea has begun construction this month on a new R&D center in Cheongna International City.
[Photo by BMW Korea]

The new BMW R&D Center Korea will be built within the Cheongna IHP (Incheon Hi-Tech Park) urban high-tech industrial complex. Situated on a 5,295㎡ site, it will conduct research in future mobility fields through technology exchange between Germany and Korea, focusing on autonomous driving, connectivity, and electrification technologies alongside the German headquarters. Additionally, a test lab facility will be constructed alongside the research center, equipped with separate spaces and equipment for vehicle certification and electrification technology verification. It is also expected to contribute to domestic job creation due to workforce expansion.

Dieter Strobl, Head of R&D at BMW Group Korea, said, "The new BMW R&D Center Korea, which has broken ground in Cheongna International City, will play an important role in providing vehicles and services that are even more optimized for Korean customers."

The BMW Group continues to invest steadily in the Korean market to expand the automotive culture base and infrastructure. In 2014, it established the BMW Driving Center on Yeongjong Island, Incheon, the world’s only automotive complex culture space combining a track and customer experience facilities in one location. In 2017, it strengthened domestic investment by building the world’s largest BMW parts logistics center (RDC) in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.