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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

BMW Group Expands Spartanburg, South Carolina, Operations

10/24/2022
To further its electromobility plan The BMW Group plans to expand and establish operations in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The $1.7 billion project is expected to create 300 jobs.

The company will invest $1 billion at Plant Spartanburg, and $700 million in a more than 1-million-square-foot high-voltage battery assembly facility in Woodruff.

“For decades, Plant Spartanburg has been a cornerstone of the global success of the BMW Group. The home of the BMW X models that are so popular all over the world. Going forward, it will also be a major driver for our electrification strategy, and we will produce at least six fully electric BMW X models here by 2030. That means: The ‘Home of the X’ is also becoming the ‘Home of the Battery Electric Vehicle’,” said Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW. “In addition, we can showcase BMW Group’s ‘local for local’ principle: Our newly developed sixth generation battery cells, which were specifically designed for the next generation NEUE KLASSE electric vehicles, will be sourced here in South Carolina, where X goes electric.”

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development has awarded a $65 million Closing Fund grant to Spartanburg County to assist with costs related to the project.

“BMW’s latest investment further proves that South Carolina is a vital player in the automotive transformation sweeping the U.S. and the world. The company’s continued success here is defined by collaboration and a workforce that is second to none. Once again, BMW is helping South Carolina drive the automotive industry toward the future, and I can’t wait to see where the ride takes us,” Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III added.

With a commitment to strengthening its regional supply chain, the BMW Group aims to purchase battery cells for its electric vehicles where production takes place. The company also partnered with Envision AESC, which will build a new battery cell factory in South Carolina, to supply Plant Spartanburg.

“The future of mobility and the future of automotive technology will be centered in Spartanburg County, benefitting thousands of people for years to come. As the era of the electric vehicle dawns, we will be on the cutting edge thanks to BMW’s continued partnership and investment with the Upstate and Spartanburg County, now expanding to Woodruff,” said Spartanburg County Councilman and Chairman of the Economic Development Committee David Britt.

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