SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- BMW will invest $1 billion in its factory here by 2016 to expand capacity by 100,000 units and add production of a fifth crossover, the X7 -- making the plant its biggest worldwide.
Norbert Reithofer, CEO of BMW AG, said Spartanburg’s annual production will top that of BMW’s Dingolfing, Germany, plant, which can build 350,000 vehicles a year.
BMW's current capacity has just been boosted to 350,000 units. Last year, the plant produced 297,326 vehicles.
Reithofer said building 450,000 vehicles a year will mean the equivalent of "a whole new plant” of output beyond last year's total.