BMW Unveils New $600 Million Expansion at U.S. Plant

BMW AG says it will spend $600 million between 2018 and 2012 to expand capacity at its SUV plant in South Carolina, creating 1,000 jobs in the process.

The investment will be used to prepare the Spartanburg factory—BMW’s largest assembly plant anywhere—to make future generation models, according to CEO Harald Krueger. The 23-year-old complex has become BMW’s sole source for most of its X-Series SUV/crossovers.

The new spending program will be in addition to the $1 billion BMW is already investing in the plant to launch the company’s all-new X7 large crossover at the end of next year.

BMW has spent some $8 billion on the Spartanburg facility to date. With annual capacity at 450,000 units, the factory exports 70% of its output of X3, X4, X5 and X6 crossovers.