Export Value Totals $8.76 Billion in 2017.
Spartanburg, S.C. BMW Manufacturing announced today that it exported 272,346 BMW X models from the Spartanburg plant during 2017. Nearly 87 percent of these Sports Activity Vehicles and Coupes were exported through the Port of Charleston with an export value of approximately $8.76 billion, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. This confirms that the South Carolina factory is the leading U.S. automotive exporter by value.
The remaining 13 percent of BMW X models were exported through five other southeastern ports: Savannah, GA; Brunswick, GA; Jacksonville, FL; Miami, FL; and Everglades, FL. All totaled, the Spartanburg plant exported more than 70 percent of its total production volume of 371,284 units.
“BMW X models manufactured in South Carolina continue to be a major contributor to the BMW Group’s success,” said Knudt Flor, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing. “Plant Spartanburg’s achievement as the country’s leading automotive exporter demonstrates BMW’s trusted partnership with this state, its contribution to the U.S. balance of trade, and its commitment to the United States.”
BMW announced in June that it will invest an additional $600 million in the Spartanburg plant from 2018 through 2021 to support manufacturing infrastructure for future generations of X models. An additional 1,000 jobs will also be added through 2021.
“As the nation’s leader in the export sales of completed passenger vehicles, South Carolina accounts for more than 16 percent of the total U.S. market share,” said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt. “This figure perfectly depicts the state’s unmatched global connectivity and status as a major player in the global automotive industry.”
“BMW is a leader in automotive manufacturing and driver of both import and export volume growth of the Port,” said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of South Carolina Ports Authority. “As customers of both Inland Port Greer and the Port of Charleston, BMW’s multiple expansions have been exciting opportunities for the Port, and we value our role in its international supply chain.”
BMW Plant Spartanburg produces 1,400 vehicles each day, with a model portfolio that includes the BMW X3, X4, X5 and X6 Sports Activity Vehicles and Coupes (and their variants). The all-new BMW X7 will debut in late 2018. In 2017, the Spartanburg plant produced 371,284 vehicles. The factory has a production capacity of 450,000 vehicles and employs 10,000 people.
BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC
BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC is a subsidiary of BMW AG in Munich, Germany and is the global producer of the BMW X3 and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and X4 and X6 Sports Activity Coupe. In addition to the South Carolina manufacturing facility, BMW Group North American subsidiaries include sales, marketing and financial services operations in the United States, Canada and throughout Latin America; and a design firm and technology office in California. For more information on BMW Manufacturing, visit www.bmwusfactory.com
BMW GROUP GLOBAL ACHIEVES BEST-EVER JANUARY
Munich. Following its seventh consecutive year of record sales, the world’s number one manufacturer of premium vehicles started 2018 with another record: the BMW Group has never sold so many cars in January as in this year. A total of 169,538 customers took delivery of a BMW, MINI or Rolls-Royce premium vehicle, an increase of 3.8% on the same month last year.
“We are driving the biggest model offensive in the company’s history and as availability ramps up in the course of the year, this will continue to come through in our sales results,” said Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Brand BMW. “Deliveries of the new BMW 5 Series sedan, for example, are up by 40%, while the introduction of the new BMW 6 Series GT has far more than doubled overall BMW 6 Series sales in the month. As we introduce more exciting new models like the all-new BMW X2 and increase supply of the BMW X3 in the second half of this year, I’m confident this record month is the start of another record year,” Nota continued.
Having delivered well over 100,000 electrified vehicles in 2017, the BMW Group is looking to build further on that success and is targeting 140,000 electrified vehicles this year, thereby maintaining its leading position in the premium battery-electric/plug-in hybrid segment. With sales of BMW i, BMW iPerformance and MINI Electric vehicles increasing by 36.7% compared to January last year, things are well on track to achieve that target. Worldwide, a total of 7,155 customers took delivery of a premium BMW Group electrified vehicle in January. More than a quarter of all BMW and MINI vehicles sold in Scandinavia were electrified. Other very strong markets include Great Britain/Ireland, where electrified vehicles accounted for 11.1% of total BMW and MINI sales and the USA, where the proportion of electrified sales was 5.2%.
Global BMW brand sales increased by 3.4% in the first month of 2018, with a total of 148,400 vehicles delivered to customers worldwide. A variety of different models across the portfolio contributed to this new all-time best January. The new BMW 5 Series sedan was once again a strong growth driver, with global sales up 39.6% (25,268). The success of the BMW 1 Series sedan in China helped overall global BMW 1 Series sales increase by 26.4% while the BMW X1 (22,185 / +10.6%) and the BMW X6 (3,128 / +5.8%) were the main growth drivers in the BMW X family, as production of the new BMW X3 ramps up through the second half of the year.
The MINI brand achieved global sales growth of 7.0%, with the delivery of 20,929 vehicles to customers in January. The strongest growth driver was the MINI Countryman, which doubled its sales compared to January last year. A total of 6,022 customers took delivery of this model in the month, with one out of seven choosing the plug-in hybrid version of the car.
After celebrating a new record sales year in 2017, BMW Motorrad has achieved a very successful start to the new year. A total of 8,455 BMW Motorrad customers took delivery of a new motorcycle or maxi-scooter in January, an increase of 12.7% compared to the same month last year.
BMW & MINI sales in the regions/markets at a glance
The BMW Group achieved sales growth in all three major sales regions in January, in line with its long-term policy of balanced sales around the world.
| In January 2018 | Compared with previous year % | |
| Europe | 65,071 | +1.8 |
| – Germany* | 24,394 | +3.4 |
| – UK | 9,982 | +0.5 |
| Asia | 71,083 | +6.5 |
| – China (Mainland) | 54,675 | +6.5 |
| – Japan | 3,628 | -7.6 |
| Americas | 28,545 | +6.0 |
| – USA | 21,953 | +3.5 |
| – Latin America | 3,851 | +16.2 |
* Provisional registration figures
BMW Group sales in January 2018 at a glance
| In January 2018 | Compared with previous year % | |
| BMW Group Automobiles | 169,538 | +3.8 |
| BMW | 148,400 | +3.4 |
| MINI | 20,929 | +7.0 |
| BMW Group electrified* | 7,155 | +36.7 |
| BMW Motorrad | 8,455 | +12.7 |
*BMW i, BMW iPerformance, MINI Electric