By:
Tracy Sanders, Co-Editor
tracy@thewoodrufftimes.com
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg once again led the nation in automotive exports by value in 2025, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Last year, the South Carolina plant exported nearly 200,000 BMW X models with a total export value of $9 billion. Over the longer term, from 2014 through 2025, Plant Spartanburg exported nearly 3 million vehicles valued at $113 billion.
Most vehicles assembled in Spartanburg were shipped through the Port of Charleston. Additional exports moved through the ports of Brunswick, Georgia; Jacksonville, Florida; Port Everglades, Florida; and Baltimore, Maryland. More than 14,000 vehicles were also exported by rail.
“Free trade and open markets enable growth and prosperity. Our plants — and above all the strong supplier networks in each respective region — benefit from this,” said Milan Nedeljković, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Production.
BMW Manufacturing President and CEO Dr. Robert Engelhorn said the export milestone highlights the company’s impact on the national economy. “BMW Manufacturing is proud to be the largest automotive exporter by value in the United States, a distinction that underscores our commitment to both the state of South Carolina and the nation’s economic strength,” Engelhorn said. “Our exports play a crucial role in supporting a favorable balance of trade, which is essential for sustained economic growth.”
In 2025, workers at the Spartanburg plant assembled 412,799 BMW X models. The total marks the third-highest annual production in the facility’s 32-year history and the seventh time the plant has exceeded 400,000 vehicles in a single year.
Since opening in 1992, the BMW Group has invested nearly $16 billion in its South Carolina operations. The Spartanburg facility is the largest BMW Group plant in the world, assembling more than 1,500 vehicles each day.
The plant plays a key role in BMW’s global production network and helps meet demand for BMW Sports Activity Vehicles and coupes in the United States and worldwide. About half of the vehicles produced in Spartanburg are exported to nearly 120 global markets.
BMW has been the largest automotive exporter by value in the United States for more than a decade. In 2025, more than 52 percent of BMW vehicles sold in the United States were built at the Spartanburg plant.
The facility produces five top-selling BMW X models, three Motorsport X models, and two plug-in hybrid electric vehicle X models. The factory has an annual production capacity of up to 450,000 vehicles and employs more than 11,000 people onsite.
