BMW will invest nearly $900 million in its South Carolina plant during the next three years. The announcement was made during a ceremony to commemorate a major production milestone – 2,000,000 vehicles have rolled off the assembly line since the Bavarian company began U.S. production in 1994. The 2 millionth BMW was a Vermillion Red Metallic X3 xDrive35i driven by Terry Gardner, a 16-year BMW veteran.
With the addition of 300 new jobs this year, BMW will raise U.S. production capacity up to 300,000 units. By the end of the year, the plant will employ 7,500 people at its more than 4.0 million square foot facility. Frank-Peter Arndt, BMW Group Board Member responsible for Production said the X-model family will ultimately be extended with production of the new BMW X4 at the Spartanburg plant.
In 2011, the plant produced 276,065 vehicles for 130 global markets, a 73% increase versus 2010. Seventy percent of the vehicles produced (192,813) were exported making BMW the largest U.S. automotive exporter to the non-NAFTA countries. According to Arndt, throughout the world, more that 117,000 X3’s were sold in 2011 representing a 156% growth of this vehicle versus its predecessor.
Since 1994, the plant has undergone four major expansions and produced 6 different BMW models and their variants (318i, Z3, Z4, X5, X6, X3). Employment has grown from 500 in 1994 to more than 7,000 today.
The new expansion brings BMW Group’s total investment in the state to nearly $6 billion. dollars and represents its largest, single investment to date in its South Carolina plant.