Associates gather around a BMW X3 with a commemorative banner celebrating 4 million BMW's produced at Plant Spartanburg.
07.09.2017
Production Milestone: BMW Manufacturing Produces Its 4 Millionth Vehicle.

Spartanburg, S.C. It all began on September 8, 1994, when Associate Ryan Childers drove the first BMW – a 318i – off the Assembly line. Twenty-three years to the day, BMW Manufacturing has produced its four millionth vehicle, a new BMW X3. The milestone vehicle is a Phytonic Blue Metallic BMW X3 xDrive M40i equipped with Vernasca Cognac leather interior. This special Sports Activity Vehicle will be shipped to a dealer in Vienna, Austria.

“This achievement reflects the commitment and dedication of every Associate to produce premium quality vehicles,” said Knudt Flor, President and CEO of BMW Manufacturing. “Customers around the world love our products, and our X models are an important part of the company’s success.”

As BMW Plant Spartanburg has expanded, the rate of producing one million vehicles has increased over the past 23 years of production.

  • 1.0 Millionth BMW – February 28, 2006 – Z4 M Roadster
  • 1.5 Millionth BMW – September 8, 2009 – BMW X6 xDrive35i
  • 2.0 Millionth BMW – January 12, 2012 – BMW X3 xDrive35i
  • 2.5 Millionth BMW – September 17, 2013 – BMW X5 xDrive50i
  • 3.0 Millionth BMW – March 24, 2015 – BMW X5 M
  • 3.5 Millionth BMW – May 18, 2016 – BMW X4 xDrive20i
  • 4.0 Millionth BMW – September 8, 2017 – BMW X3 xDrive M40i

In June, the BMW Group announced it will invest an additional $600 million in the Spartanburg plant from 2018 through 2021 for manufacturing infrastructure for future generations of X models. An additional 1,000 jobs will also be added through 2021.

BMW Manufacturing currently produces 1,400 vehicles each day, exporting 70 percent of these models to 140 global markets. The model portfolio includes the BMW X3, X4, X5 and X6 Sports Activity Vehicles and Coupes (and their variants). Last year, the Spartanburg plant produced 411,171 vehicles, making it the largest BMW plant in the world by volume. The Plant has a production capacity of 450,000 vehicles and employs more than 9,000.

Please Note:

To the extent that historical press releases reference BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC as the manufacturer of certain X model vehicles, the referenced vehicles are manufactured in South Carolina with a combination of U.S. origin and imported parts and components.