BMW to Invest $750 Million in Spartanburg Plant

SPARTANBURG, S.C.—BMW announced it will invest $750 million in its Spartanburg, S.C. facility to increase production capacity to 240,000 units by 2012. The investment is reportedly the largest ever for the Spartanburg plant.

Over the next three years, BMW will construct a 1.2 million square foot assembly facility north of the existing facility to accommodate the BMW X3 sports activity vehicle. In addition, the paint shop will be expanded by about 80%, or 300,000 square feet, and the existing body shops will be renovated.
After the expansion, the Spartanburg plant will manufacture the BMW X3, X5 sports activity vehicle and X6 sports activity coupe. The plant will also produce a diesel X5 sports activity vehicle for the U.S. market later this year.

“Centralizing our know-how for BMW X models in Spartanburg will enable us to work more efficiently, thus supporting our long-range corporate strategy,” said BMW Board Member Frank-Peter Arndt. “In addition, it was a logical step for the BMW Group as a global player to increase production capacity in its largest market.”