BMW will start building its ever-popular X5 SUV in China from next year.
X5s currently built for the Chinese market are made at BMW ’s factory in Spartanburg in Greer, South Carolina but given demand for it is so strong in the Chinese market, it will soon also be built locally through the BMW Brilliance joint venture.
A U.S. supplier source has told Reuters that Chinese production of the X5 will start in the second quarter of 2022. A BMW spokesperson has also confirmed that X5s built in China will be sold exclusively in the local market.
Read Also: Facelifted BMW X5 M Will Keep Its Brutal Power And Look Even Better
BMW’s plant in Spartanburg
Production levels of the X5 at the Spartanburg plant will not be impacted. The SUV is also built in Thailand, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, and Mexico.
BMW sold nearly 700,000 vehicles in China from January through September, up almost 20 per cent from the year prior. Speaking with Reuters back in September, the company’s finance chief Nicolas Peter said he was confident that Chinese sales would continue to grow in 2022.
“The market will not grow as quickly as it did over the last 12 months – that was when the catch-up effects after the corona disruption made themselves felt,” said Peter. “But we do expect it to grow.” He added that travel restrictions in China have left local consumers with more money for discretionary spending, helping to contribute to the increase in sales.
BMW has been producing the fourth-generation X5 since 2018 and is currently working on a mid-cycle facelift that should arrive next year.
BMW’s plant in Spartanburg