BMW Could Build 3 and 5 Series in the US

BMW has a good reputation with their performance luxury sedans in America. So it comes as no surprise that the company is considering widening their US-produced lineup with the 3 and 5 Series. The announcement was reportedly made by marketing board member Ian Robertson in an interview for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, according to Automotive News Europe.

A final decision has not yet been reached, but the two models could join the X3, X5 and X6 on the production line at the BMW facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina. "I would not rule it out altogether," Robertson told the paper in an interview.

Currently the Bavarians enjoy a 2.3 percent market share in the US, after they sold around 266,000 units last year, up from the 242,000 figure of 2009. The sales result in America was reportedly just 252 vehicles short of overtaking Germany as the carmaker’s biggest market.

Jim O'Donnell, CEO of BMW of North America, said at the Detroit Auto Show that he expects US sales to surpass German ones because of the recovering economy and the launch of the redesigned X3 SUV. "The X3 has been a huge boost for us," O'Donnell added.

The Spartanburg facility will operate at its full capacity of 240,000 units this year, according to Josef Kerscher, president of the company's stateside production arm in Detroit. The facility increased its production capabilities by 50 percent in 2010, as production of the X3 kicked off.

So far, the automaker did not say if the 3 an 5 Series will be made in South Carolina or new facilities are on the cards.