On the Dash:
- BMW completed a $1.7 billion investment in Plant Spartanburg and the new Plant Woodruff.
- The X5 debuts as BMW’s first U.S.-built fully electric model, production starting late 2026.
- BMW’s South Carolina plants will support at least six electric models by 2030.
BMW Group has completed a $1.7 billion investment in its South Carolina operations. The automaker marked the milestone with a “Home of X” event at Plant Spartanburg on June 30.
The investment covers the expansion of Plant Spartanburg and the construction of a new plant in Woodruff. Together the two plants will support the assembly of fully electric BMW vehicles in South Carolina.
The event also served as the world premiere for the fifth-generation BMW X5. BMW confirmed the electric iX5 will be the first fully electric BMW assembled in the United States. Production starts in late 2026.
The new X5 will be the first vehicle in BMW’s lineup offered with five drivetrain options. Those include internal combustion, battery electric, plug-in hybrid, diesel and, eventually, hydrogen fuel cell. Plant Spartanburg will be the first plant in BMW’s global network capable of building a single model across all five drivetrain technologies on one assembly line.
Milan Nedeljković, chairman of the board of management at BMW AG, tied the milestone to a commitment BMW made in 2022.
“When we announced our investment plans for South Carolina in 2022, we made a clear commitment to the future of the BMW Group in the United States. Today, we are delivering on that commitment. The completion of our investments in Plant Spartanburg and Plant Woodruff demonstrates our confidence in the United States and reinforces South Carolina’s role at the center of BMW Group’s global operations,” Nedeljković said.
BMW’s South Carolina operations have produced more than 7.3 million vehicles since 1994. The plant built 412,799 X models in 2025 alone. Roughly half of that output is exported to nearly 120 countries.
BMW says its U.S. operations now span nearly 30 locations across 12 states, support more than 120,000 jobs and contribute more than $43.3 billion annually to the U.S. economy. The company plans to assemble at least six fully electric models in the United States by 2030, with high-voltage batteries supplied locally from Plant Woodruff.
