SPARTANBURG, SC — BMW Manufacturing led the nation in automotive exports by value for the sixth consecutive year, according to U.S. Department of Commerce data.
During 2019, the South Carolina plant exported 246,014 BMW X models with a total export value of approximately $9.6 billion.
The BMWs, nearly 195,000 units, produced in Spartanburg were exported through the Port of Charleston and through five southeastern ports in Georgia and Florida. More than 18,000 BMWs were also exported via rail.
“Every day, the Plant Spartanburg team produces five top-selling BMW X models, four Motorsport X models and two plug-in hybrid X models sold in more than 125 countries around the world,” says Knudt Flor, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing. “In addition to being the largest U.S. automotive exporter by value, our plant continues to be the largest facility in BMW’s global production network. These achievements are significant and clearly reinforce BMW’s ongoing commitment in the United States.”
In 2019, BMW Manufacturing set a production record with 411,620 BMW X models produced.
Last year was also a significant year for launches at the Spartanburg plant. In April, the plant launched the first-ever BMW X3 M and BMW X4 M. The plant launched the third-generation BMW X6 and MW X5 xDrive45e (second generation plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) in August. In December, Spartanburg saw the launch of the first-ever BMW X3 xDrive30e (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) and the third-generation BMW X5 M and BMW X6 M. 2019 was also the first full production year for the first-ever BMW X7.“When the first BMW rolled off the assembly line at the Spartanburg facility a little more than 25 years ago, South Carolina’s economic landscape began a transformation that would go on to define S.C. as a true brand state,” says Bobby Hitt, South Carolina's commerce secretary. “The remarkable partnership between BMW and South Carolina continues to thrive, and this is evident by the fact that our state remains the nation’s leader in the export sales of completed passenger vehicles.”
“For more than 25 years, S.C. Ports Authority has had a strong partnership with BMW Manufacturing. Our Inland Port Greer operation brings vehicles from the Upstate to the Lowcountry via rail, and the Port of Charleston enables BMW to export 70 percent of its South Carolina-made vehicles to more than 125 countries. The automotive manufacturing sector is a vital part of our state’s economy,” says Jim Newsome, president and CEO of S.C. Ports Authority. “We are proud to support the shipping needs of the automotive industry, and we look forward to future success and growth for BMW.”
From 2010 to 2019, BMW Group Plant Spartanburg exported 2,285,285 vehicles out of 3,335,871 total vehicles produced. That means nearly 70 percent of the plant’s total production was exported during the decade. Later in 2020, the plant will celebrate a significant production milestone as it produces the five millionth BMW built in South Carolina.
