In a program to celebrate the opening of the new 1.2 million square feet BMW manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, BMW Group Chairman Dr.-Ing. Norbert Reithofer announced the plant expansion completes the company’s one billion US dollar investment in the U.S. market between 2008 and 2010.
“The U.S. will remain the world’s largest premium market for the foreseeable future and we intend to participate in the expected growth with the expansion of our activities here,” said Reithofer. “Our investments, the creation of new jobs and our active involvement in local communities are proof of our deep commitment to the U.S. and its people and we will continue on this path into the future.” According to Reithofer, the BMW brand wants to remain the best-selling European premium brand in the U.S. In September 2010, the BMW brand in the U.S. reported sales of 18,228 vehicles (+21.1 percent) and a year-to-date sales volume of 157,464 vehicles, up 9.2 percent.
US$ 750 million of the total investment plan have been used to prepare Plant Spartanburg to produce the all-new BMW X3 and included construction of a new assembly hall for the BMW X3 and expansion of the Body and Paint Shops for higher production capacities. As a result, Spartanburg’s production capacity is set to increase by 50% from 160,000 to 240,000 units by 2011.
Since the start-of-production at the Spartanburg plant in September 1994 more than 1.6 million BMW vehicles have been manufactured for customers around the world and total capital investment now amounts to US$ 4.6 billion.
To support the increased production, a total of 1,600 new jobs are being created with about 1,000 already hired and another 600 to be hired by the end of the year. The total number of jobs at the plant will increase to 7,600 by the end of the year.
The balance of the US$ one billion investment was used to expand and modernize BMW Group’s U.S. headquarters campus in New Jersey and to build two new regional distribution centers in the Northeast and Midwest in 2008 and 2009.
