BMW Manufacturing breaks production records in 2021

Listen to this article

The Spartanburg manufacturing hub saw a 20% increase in the year-over-year production of all BMW X vehicles last year.  

That may seem obvious given the historic pause in production due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but last year’s 433,810 vehicles far surpasses the 2019 maximum record of 411,620 units.

“The fact that the Plant Spartanburg team set a production record during a very unpredictable year is a testament to the commitment and flexibility of our associates,” Robert Engelhorn, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing, said in a news release. “Our associates continue to build premium quality products that are in high demand by our customers around the world.”

The BMW X5 led the way with 165,704 units, followed by the BMW X3 at 113,831 units, the BMW X4 at 52,935 units and the BMW X7 at 50,724 units. 

The plant also broke records for its plug-in hybrid production numbers in 2021 after shipping out 70,000 vehicles – a close to 50% year-over-year increase. Last year, 39,883 X5 xDrive45e vehicles and 30,000 X3 xDrive30e vehicles left Plant Spartanburg.

“Electric mobility is becoming a growth driver and success factor for the company,” Engelhorn said in the release. “Our plant is fully on board to support BMW Group’s electrification strategy. We look forward to adding the all-new BMW XM to the Plant Spartanburg family of X models. Series production of the BMW XM, the first plug-in hybrid high-performance model in the BMW M portfolio, will begin in late 2022.”

Close to 180,000 BMWs sold in the United States, 53.4% of all BMW brand U.S. sales, were sourced to the Upstate