BMW just recently invested $750 million in the expansion of the manufacturing plant, adding new paint and body shops, as well as new production lines, to prepare for the arrival of the new 2011 BMW X3 which moves from the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria. The expansion completes the company's one billion US dollar investment in the U.S. market between 2008 and 2010.
Plant spokesman Bobby Hitt told Greenville News that by the end of the year, BMW plans to hire 1,600 workers, adding to a total of 7,600 employees. The automaker brings a significant contribution to the community, and the addition of the new X3 will add even more jobs.
The Spartanburg facility is one of the most efficient BMW sites, and it is scheduled to produce about 240,000 vehicles next year, an increase of 50% over last year's 160,000 units. The plant's opening on September 8, 1994 turned BMW into the first European auto manufacturer to build and successfully operate an automotive plant in the U.S.
Since the start-of-production at the Spartanburg plant in September 1994 more than 1.6 million BMW vehicles have been manufactured for customers around the world and total capital investment now amounts to US$ 4.6 billion.
According to BMW Group Chairman Dr.-Ing. Norbert Reithofer the BMW brand wants to remain the best-selling European premium brand in the U.S. The company has sold 157,464 vehicles from the beginning of 2010, up 9.2 percent from the previous year.
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