BMW Manufacturing announced Tuesday a $1.7 billion expansion of its Spartanburg County plant that will add approximately 1,000 jobs and establish a dedicated production line for next-generation fully electric vehicles — the largest single capital investment in the facility’s 32-year history in South Carolina.
The expansion, which BMW describes as central to its global electric vehicle strategy, will construct a new body assembly building on the plant’s existing 1,900-acre campus off I-85 in Greer and add battery module assembly capacity to support EV production alongside the plant’s current lineup of X-series SUVs.
“Spartanburg is not just our largest plant — it is the plant we trust with our most important products,” said BMW Manufacturing President and CEO [Name]. “This investment reflects that confidence and deepens our commitment to South Carolina for the next generation.”
What’s Being Built
The expansion adds three primary components to the Spartanburg campus:
A new body shop — approximately 500,000 square feet — designed for the structural requirements of BMW’s next electric platform, which uses a different framing architecture than combustion-engine vehicles and requires new welding and bonding processes.
A battery module assembly hall where cells sourced from BMW’s global supply chain will be configured into complete battery packs on-site, reducing logistics complexity and allowing faster model changeovers.
Expanded logistics and supplier infrastructure, including a new on-campus supplier park that will allow several key components vendors to operate adjacent to the assembly line — a model BMW pioneered at Spartanburg that is now standard across the industry.
“When BMW first came to Spartanburg in 1992, it changed what people thought South Carolina could be. This expansion continues that story.” — Governor [Name]
Economic Ripple
BMW’s Spartanburg plant is already the single largest exporter of manufactured goods by value in the United States, shipping approximately $10.5 billion in vehicles annually through the Port of Charleston. The 1,000 new positions — a mix of direct manufacturing, skilled trades, and engineering roles — will bring total employment at the plant to more than 12,000.
South Carolina Commerce Secretary [Name] said the expansion is expected to generate an additional 4,000 to 5,000 indirect jobs in the regional supplier base across Cherokee, Union, and Spartanburg counties, where the plant’s supply chain is heavily concentrated.
Spartanburg County Council approved a fee-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement to support the investment, replacing standard property tax obligations with a negotiated payment schedule over 30 years. The county estimates the net fiscal benefit — accounting for infrastructure costs and the negotiated payment — at approximately $180 million over the agreement’s life.
Workforce and Training
BMW confirmed it will expand its existing apprenticeship program with Spartanburg Community College and Greenville Technical College, adding 200 apprenticeship slots over the next three years. The program, which offers participants a paid pathway from high school into full-time BMW employment, has placed more than 600 workers into permanent positions since its founding.
The company will also partner with the South Carolina Technical College System on a new electric vehicle systems curriculum to ensure the regional workforce pipeline is aligned with EV-specific maintenance and manufacturing skills.
What’s Next
Construction on the body shop and battery assembly hall is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2026, with full production on the new EV line targeted for late 2028. BMW will hold a community open house at the plant in April to provide additional details on hiring timelines and apprenticeship enrollment.