BMW announced a one billion dollar investment in its Spartanburg plant. The additional money will be used to increase capacity, which is necessary to meet strong global demand for BMW X models. “Plant Spartanburg was built to enhance and expand the BMW line-up, underscoring the BMW Group commitment to the United States” said Dr. Norbert Reithofer. “In addition to the X3, X5, X6, and the new X4, we are today announcing another all-new, larger X model to be manufactured exclusively at this plant for our world markets: the X7.” 

The announcement marks the official expansion of BMW range with a bigger SUV, positioned above the current X5.

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Harald Krüger, Board of Management member for Production explained the important role of the US for the BMW Group production strategy: “The BMW Group strives for a good balance of growth among all markets and continents. The Spartanburg plant is an important building block in our international network of 28 production and assembly facilities in 13 countries today and makes a vital contribution to profitable, globally-balanced growth.”

The car will be launched in 2017 and will be based on the future BMW X5 platform. The SUV will allow room for seven passengers and will be „highly fuel efficient while offering outstanding driving performance. It will be a true BMW”, as Reithofer stated.