BMW’s sole U.S. manufacturing plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, has assembled its seven millionth BMW, the automaker said in a press release April 30.
The company celebrated the milestone at the plant with the assembly of a bespoke BMW — a metallic green Alpina XB7, featuring special design modifications and a 4.4-liter B-Turbo V8 engine that produces 631 horsepower. Per the release, the company will keep the commemorative car as part of its historic collection.
"This beautiful BMW Alpina XB7 is a testament to the great products we have, the quality of our supplier network and the unwavering commitment and dedication of our valued associates,” Robert Engelhorn, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing, said in a statement.
The special BMW Alpina XB7 is one of as many as 450,000 vehicles that BMW workers will assemble at the plant this year, according to production trends and plant capacity.
The Spartanburg facility, known as BMW Manufacturing, is the largest BMW plant in the world. More than 11,000 workers are employed at the plant, which assembles the BMW X series for domestic and international markets. Almost half of the BMWs sold in the U.S. originate from the Spartanburg plant.
BMW is currently preparing to build fully electric vehicles at the Spartanburg plant, meaning future commemorative cars representing production milestones may include EVs.
The company is investing more than $1.7 billion into its U.S. operations to begin BMW EV production in South Carolina. According to the company, $1 billion of this investment was targeted to outfit the Spartanburg plant to assemble EVs, while $700 million is for a new EV battery plant in nearby Woodruff, South Carolina. The Spartanburg plant’s first fully EV model is slated for production in 2026.
By 2030, according to the company, the Spartanburg plant will produce at least six EV models as well as the traditional ICE and plug-in hybrid vehicles it already assembles.
