BMW Closes Severance Window Early as Regensburg Output Slips and Shenyang Cells Come Online
Published on 10/25/2026 at 18:40 | Editorial boerse-global.de
BMW has shut the door on its voluntary severance scheme ahead of schedule, with the Handelsblatt reporting that the programme drew more applicants than the company needed. The Munich-based manufacturer confirmed the target headcount had been reached, though it declined to say how many employees had signed up. The programme stopped accepting further registrations on Thursday, and the business daily based its account on company circles and a sample termination agreement it had obtained. Word of heavy uptake had already surfaced on Tuesday via dpa.
The early closure caps a busy stretch for the group, which is simultaneously buying back its own stock and pushing ahead with next-generation battery manufacturing.
Buyback rolls on alongside the payroll trim
Under its 2025/2027 repurchase programme, BMW picked up 245,796 ordinary shares in the week from 12 to 18 October, according to the interim notice published on Tuesday. The third tranche covers 9,145,127 ordinary shares worth EUR 532,147,668.28. The buybacks and the staff departures thus sit side by side on the group's list of active measures.
Regensburg output curtailed by short-notice parts shortage
On the production side, the picture is less tidy. A short-notice shortage of supplier components forced BMW to throttle output at its Regensburg plant, a company spokesperson said, resulting in isolated shift cancellations. The disclosure followed the previous day's reporting on the disruption.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying BMW?
Nine-month deliveries down, with China the weak spot
Those plant-level hiccups sit against a softer global sales backdrop. BMW reported 1,707,799 vehicles delivered worldwide in the first nine months of 2026, a decline of 4.9%. China accounted for the sharpest drop at 21.8%, while Europe advanced 4.5% and the US grew 3.4%. Third-quarter group deliveries, according to media reports, fell 6.3% to 551,072 units, with China down 24.8% to 114,355 vehicles.
Battery-electric vehicles bucked the trend. BMW handed over 110,257 fully electric cars in the third quarter of 2026, up 7.2% year on year, and in Europe every third vehicle delivered in the quarter was fully electric.
Shenyang adds a third pillar to the Gen6 network
Manufacturing of Gen6 high-voltage batteries began in series on 15 October at Shenyang, which BMW describes as the third node in its global Gen6 production network.
BMW at a turning point? This analysis reveals what investors need to know now.
Charging technology is advancing in parallel. On Tuesday, BMW joined IONNA and Alpitronic to showcase the charging capability of the new BMW iX5 60 xDrive, with the demonstration reaching up to 460 kW according to the company. The model's high-voltage storage unit has a net capacity of 141 kWh. BMW explicitly labelled the exercise a technology demonstration rather than charging hardware currently available in the US.
Investors get their next hard numbers on 4 November, when BMW publishes its quarterly statement for the period ending 30 September 2026.
Ad
BMW Stock: New Analysis - 25 October
Fresh BMW information released. What's the impact for investors? Our latest independent report examines recent figures and market trends.
