MUNICH -- BMW CEO Harald Kruger appealed to the incoming Trump administration to maintain free trade, not just because of BMW's new $1 billion Mexican factory but also to protect the automaker's plant in Spartanburg, S.C. The Spartanburg plant is BMW's biggest globally and exports 70 percent of its production.
"The U.S. market is fundamental for us. We are a big exporter out of the U.S.," he said. "It's clear we need free trade," Krueger said at the annual Automotive Summit organized by German business daily Handelsblatt here.
Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said his company is waiting to see what the new administration does. "Many things get said during the heat of an election campaign," Zetsche said.