BMW has announced it will be investing $900 million in its Spartanburg, South Carolina plant by 2014, increasing the facility’s annual capacity to 350,000 units. The Spartanburg plant expansion will include space to produce BMW’s upcoming X4 utility vehicle.
Vehicles produced at the Spartanburg plant – which include the X3, X5 and X6 – were in hot demand last year, with the factory cranking out a total of 276,065 units in 2011. That figure represents a 73 percent increase over 2010.
Since it opened its doors in 1994, BMW has expanded the Spartanburg plant four times, totaling over $6 billion in investments. The plant initially employed just 500 workers, but has more than 7,000 on the payroll today. BMW’s latest investment will create another 300 jobs at the plant.
BMW isn’t giving away any details on the X4, but the utility vehicle is expected to adopt a coupe-like roofline similar to the design used on the X6. The X4 will be based largely on the X3, so expect a similar lineup of powertains, albeit at a higher price point.
