BMW Group has finalized a $1.7 billion investment in its South Carolina manufacturing operations. The project, first announced in October 2022, includes a $1 billion upgrade and expansion at Plant Spartanburg and the construction of a new $700 million high-voltage battery assembly facility in nearby Woodruff.
The expansion creates an integrated manufacturing network supporting production of next-generation BMW X models, including fully electric variants. Plant Spartanburg serves as BMW’s largest global production site and currently assembles the X3, X6, X7, and XM for customers in the United States and international markets, according to a report from Fox Business.
The U.S. represents BMW’s second-largest market by sales volume.
On June 28, BMW unveiled the all-new iX5 at Plant Spartanburg during a “Home of X” event. This model is the first battery-electric BMW X5 and the first fully electric BMW assembled in the United States.
Series production of the iX5 is scheduled to begin at the end of 2026, while the company has unveiled plans to produce at least five additional fully electric BMW models in the United States by 2030.
Sebastian Mackensen, president and CEO of BMW of North America, commented on the milestone. “One thing is to announce an investment and another one is to actually do the investment, implement it, [and] build the expansion of this facility,” he said.
The CEO also stated that “BMW is ‘here for the long game’ in the US,” with particular emphasis placed on EV expansion. “It has really had a changing impact on the whole community, not only in Greenville [and] Spartanburg, but also for the entire state,” Mackensen said of the emerging electric vehicle market.
He added that the U.S. export record “shows our clear commitment to the U.S. market” and that “It makes a lot of sense to assemble your cars where your customers are.”
From 2014 through 2025, BMW exported nearly 3 million vehicles from the United States with a total value exceeding $113 billion, making the company the largest automotive exporter by value in the country for more than a decade.
The Woodruff battery plant will supply high-voltage batteries for electric vehicle production at the expanded Spartanburg facility. The overall project supports BMW’s electrification efforts while maintaining flexibility across powertrain options at its U.S. operations.
