Germany’s BMW has secured its position as the top U.S. vehicle exporter by value, surpassing domestic giants like Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, and Tesla.
The automaker’s massive Spartanburg, South Carolina, plant was responsible for exporting nearly 225,000 SUVs and crossovers in 2023, with a total export value exceeding $10 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
BMW’s exports are shipped through ports in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Maryland to more than 115 countries worldwide. The top destinations for these vehicles include Germany, South Korea, China, Canada, and the UK.
Despite being a German brand, BMW’s Spartanburg facility is its largest single production plant globally, assembling 63% of the company’s total vehicles since opening in 1994.
In 2024 alone, the plant built 396,117 vehicles, nearly half of which were sold domestically. Models produced at the facility include the BMW X3, X4, X4 M, X5, X5 M, X6, X6 M, X7, and XM SUVs. Since 1992, BMW has invested over $14.8 billion into the Spartanburg facility, reinforcing its long-term commitment to U.S. manufacturing and exports.
Dr. Robert Engelhorn, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing, highlighted the plant’s global impact by acknowledging the company’s achievement and continued commitment to the U.S.
Since its inception, the Spartanburg plant has assembled over 2.7 million vehicles for export, with a total export value exceeding $104 billion. BMW’s dominance in U.S. vehicle exports underscores its role in the country’s automotive industry, proving that when it comes to global sales, the German automaker outpaces its American counterparts.
