BMW Has Built Its 6,000,000th Vehicle In The USA On The Spartanburg Plant’s 30th Anniversary

BMW today announced that the 6,000,000th vehicle made at its Spartanburg plant in South Carolina, has rolled off the production line. The momentous achievement comes on the 30th anniversary of the opening of the production facility, the brand’s first and only assembly plant in the USA.

The 6,000,000th vehicle that will be retained by BMW for its historic collection is a Java Green Metallic X6 M that’s powered by a 4.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 that makes 600 hp (447 kW/ 608 PS). The interior, meanwhile, is upholstered in Silverstone Full Merino Leather, with 21/22-inch M Star-spoke two-color wheels.

The manufacturing milestone comes just two years after the plant completed work on its 5,000,000th vehicle in June 2020. That vehicle, a BMW X5 M Competition, was followed by several months of record-breaking productivity for the plant. In 2021, it managed to produce more than 1,500 vehicles each day and 433,810 cars for the entire year. Today, the factory has an annual production capacity of up to 450,000 vehicles and employs more than 11,000 people.

Read Also: BMW Just Built Its 5 Millionth Vehicle In The USA, A 2020 X5 M Competition

The E53 X5 was BMW’s very first SUV and it was manufactured at the Spartanburg plant from 1999 to 2006.

“Since June 2020, the team at Plant Spartanburg has produced one million vehicles,” said Dr. Robert Engelhorn, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing. “I’m incredibly proud of our associates and the resilience they have shown during this volatile time. We have world-class people who build world-class vehicles.”

Through its history, the plant’s production has only accelerated. Opened in 1992, it took the plant 14 years to build its millionth car, a 2006 Z4 M Roadster. Now, the largest BMW plant on earth, it produces the majority of the group’s SUVs and crossovers including the X3, X4, X6, X6 and X7, and it will soon begin production on the flagship XM. Spartanburg ships SUVs to markets around the world, and this one plant alone has made BMW the largest automotive exporter in America. The Z3 (1995-2002) and the first generation Z4 Roadster and Coupe models (2003-2008) were also made in Spartanburg.

BMW Spartanburg Milestones

1 Millionth BMW – February 28, 2006 – Z4 M Roadster
2 Millionth BMW – January 12, 2012 – BMW X3 xDrive35i
3 Millionth BMW – March 24, 2015 – BMW X5 M
4 Millionth BMW – September 8, 2017 – BMW X3 xDrive M40i
5 Millionth BMW – June 4, 2020 – BMW X5 M Competition
6 Millionth BMW – September 2, 2022 – BMW X6 M

“When we broke ground 30 years ago, little did we know that BMW’s legacy in South Carolina would be so profound,” said Dr. Engelhorn. “We continue to add to that legacy today with our six millionth BMW. We also look to our bright future as we start production of our newest BMW model, the BMW XM, at the end of the year.”