BMW doubles down on electric vehicles with South Carolina plant push

BMW is pressing ahead with electric-vehicle production in Spartanburg, South Carolina, anchoring a $1.7 billion U.S. investment that includes $1 billion to prepare the plant for battery-electric models and $700 million for a high-voltage battery assembly facility in Woodruff. The move keeps BMW among the few automakers expanding EV manufacturing in the United States even as rivals have trimmed back after heavy losses.

Plant Spartanburg is already one of BMW’s most important global hubs. The company says the site employs more than 11,000 people, has built more than 7.3 million vehicles since 1994 and sends roughly half of its output to 120 world markets. The factory currently assembles the X3, X5, X6, X7 and XM, and BMW has said the site remains central to its export business.

The German automaker laid out its EV plan on October 19, 2022, when it said it would build at least six fully electric models in the United States by 2030. Industry reporting in June 2025 said BMW still intended to build electric versions of the X5 and X7 in Spartanburg, with an electric X6 to follow. That commitment matters in a market where consumer demand for EVs has softened and suppliers have struggled to keep pace with the shift away from combustion engines.

South Carolina’s payoff could be substantial if BMW’s plan holds. More EV work in Spartanburg would deepen the state’s manufacturing base, draw additional supplier investment around Woodruff and strengthen BMW’s leverage with state officials eager to protect and expand high-wage industrial jobs. BMW has already shown it is willing to keep investing there: its June 2026 materials highlighted a new Home of X sculpture outside the BMW Zentrum in South Carolina, underscoring the plant’s role as the global home of BMW X Sports Activity Vehicles.

The project is not without risk. Reports in 2025 said the Envision AESC battery-cell project tied to BMW’s plan had been paused, raising questions about the local battery supply chain even as BMW said the vehicle launch program remained on track. BMW has also been testing humanoid robotics at Plant Spartanburg, where Figure 02 supported production of more than 30,000 BMW X3 vehicles over ten months, a sign the company is trying to modernize the plant even as the EV market remains unsettled.