BMW Restarting Production At U.S. Plant So You Can Get Your SUV

BMW wants to restart production at its Spartanburg facility in South Carolina next week on Monday, following a month-long shutdown.

The Spartanburg plant is BMW’s largest assembly facility anywhere the world, employing 11,000 people. It’s where the German carmaker builds its X-badged SUVs, with around 70 percent of its volume being exported to roughly 125 global markets – China being the biggest, as reported by Autonews Europe.

The process of restarting production will be a gradual one as the plant will operate at about 50 percent capacity. BMW plans to carefully assess customer demand and supply chain capacity.

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“We continue to monitor global demand and will increase these numbers as the situation dictates,” stated BMW spokesman Phil Dilanni, declining to say when full production would kick off. “We are working with suppliers to plan the ramp-up based on their individual situations.”

Initially, vehicles will be built using parts stocked from before the shutdown.

BMW is set to join Hyundai and Kia in restarting vehicle production in the US, with Toyota and Volkswagen having to push back their factory start dates, which were initially planned for May 4.

Of course, it was BMW’s German rival Mercedes who edged out the competition in getting back to business. Daimler’s assembly plant in Vance, Alabama reopened this past Monday on April 27. That facility builds the GLE, GLS and C-Class sedan, and is currently operating with one shift.

Earlier this week, BMW also announced that it would be reopening its BMW Welt facility in Germany, allowing customers to once again collect their new car in person.