BMW Confirms LG Will Supply Battery Cells for Its U.S.-Built EVs
The automaker didn't give numbers, but Korean reports put the 10-year LG deal near €5.8 billion, with cells coming from Arizona.
BMW has confirmed that LG Energy Solution will supply battery cells for the electric models it builds in the U.S., putting an official name on a supply deal Korean media first reported in the spring. The automaker said Monday that LGES and Samsung SDI are joining its cell supplier base for sixth-generation (Gen6) high-voltage batteries, with LGES delivering from plants in the U.S. and Samsung SDI from plants in Europe, starting in the late 2020s.
Gen6 is the cylindrical-cell pack that debuted in the Neue Klasse iX3, the pack China's WNEVC recently honored, and it will underpin the EVs BMW builds in Spartanburg, South Carolina, starting with the new iX5.
What BMW did and didn't say
The announcement is short on hard numbers. BMW didn't disclose volumes, contract value, which LGES factory will ship the cells, or which models will use them. It said only that both suppliers will deliver from established plants in their regions, close to BMW's battery and vehicle factories.
Korean outlets filled in some of those gaps in April. Citing Chosun Ilbo and MK, electrive reported a 10-year contract worth about 10 trillion won (roughly €5.8 billion) for 46-series cylindrical cells from LGES' plant in Arizona, after LGES announced more than 100 GWh of new cylindrical-cell orders without naming the customer. BMW still hasn't confirmed those figures.
If the reports are right, it would be the first time LGES supplies cells for a fully electric BMW. The two companies have previously worked together on hybrids.
Why it matters for U.S.-built BMWs
BMW's original plan for South Carolina relied on AESC, which was building a cell plant in Florence County to feed BMW's battery assembly site in nearby Woodruff. AESC paused that construction in June 2025, citing U.S. policy and market uncertainty. In January, BMW said AESC would supply U.S. production for a transition period with cells from its global network, and that it was still aiming for a localized U.S. supply chain.
Woodruff is scheduled to start series production of Gen6 packs in December, using AESC's 46120-format cells, for the iX5 built at Spartanburg, a model BMW will also export to Europe. Adding LGES gives BMW a second source for its American EVs and, if the Arizona reports hold, a cell made in the U.S. rather than shipped in. With trade policy pushing automakers to localize parts and BMW having just cut its automotive margin outlook to break-even, a nearby cell supply matters for cost as much as for security of supply.
Europe gets a third supplier
In Europe, BMW will now buy locally made cells from CATL, EVE Energy, and Samsung SDI. Gen6 packs are assembled at five new BMW plants: Irlbach-Straßkirchen in Germany, Debrecen in Hungary, Shenyang in China, Woodruff, and San Luis Potosí in Mexico.
Purchasing chief Nicolai Martin framed the deals as part of a strategy to source as locally as possible while keeping a broad supplier base. BMW also pointed to its own cell work in Bavaria: research in Munich, near-series cell production in Parsdorf, and a recycling center in Salching that will recover raw materials with a direct-recycling process BMW owns. Encory will build and run that site.
What's next
BMW hasn't said when LGES cells will first show up in a U.S.-built car beyond the late-2020s window, or whether AESC stays on as a long-term supplier for Spartanburg. The nearer milestone is Woodruff's December start, ahead of the iX5's arrival. We've already seen how fast the iX5 can charge, with the same Gen6 hardware.
