BMW Group Begins Building Construction at Plant Woodruff.

• Ceremonial Beam Signing Celebrates First Steel Beam Erected Onsite.
• Plant Woodruff Will Supply Sixth Generation Batteries for Plant Spartanburg.
• By 2030, the BMW Group Will Build At Least Six Fully Electric Vehicles in the United States.

Woodruff, S.C. – Construction of BMW’s high-voltage battery assembly plant in Woodruff, South Carolina, has started. BMW management joined representatives from the city of Woodruff, Spartanburg County, and Evans Construction on
October 5 for a ceremonial beam signing celebrating the first steel to be erected at the site. After the signing, workers immediately installed the first beam and started construction of the state-of-the-art facility.

“Today, we literally begin to build our legacy as we start the construction of Plant Woodruff,” said Dr. Robert Engelhorn, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing. “This BMW plant will play an important role for the future of electric mobility at Plant Spartanburg and in the United States.”

The BMW Group announced one year ago that it would invest $1.7 billion in its U.S. operations, including $1 billion to prepare the Spartanburg plant for the production of fully electric vehicles and $700 million to build a new high-voltage battery assembly plant in Woodruff. By 2030, the BMW Group will build at least six fully electric models in the U.S.

When completed in 2026, Plant Woodruff will produce the sixth-generation batteries to supply fully electric vehicles at nearby BMW Manufacturing. The Woodruff facility, located on 315 acres near the city, will be more than one million square feet in size and includes construction of a technology building and support buildings such as a cafeteria, fire department, and energy center.  It will be state-of-the-art in terms of sustainability, flexibility, and digitalization. More than 300 jobs will be created onsite with the opportunity to grow.

As part of the BMW Group’s “local for local” approach, the company will purchase battery cells for its electric vehicles from partner AESC, which is building a new 30 GWh battery cell factory in Florence, South Carolina, with BMW as its first customer. AESC broke ground for its new plant on June 7. They will produce newly developed round lithium-ion battery cells, specifically designed for the sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology. Battery cells produced at the AESC facility in Florence will be shipped to Plant Woodruff, where the cells will be used to manufacture batteries for fully electric BMW X models at Plant Spartanburg.

Since 1992, the BMW Group has invested nearly $12.4 billion in its South Carolina operations. BMW Manufacturing is the largest BMW Group plant in the world, producing more than 1,500 vehicles each day. The plant is an important part of BMW’s global production network and plays a critical role in meeting the high demand for BMW Sports Activity Vehicles and Coupes in the U.S. and around the world. Nearly 60 percent of its vehicles are shipped to about 120 global markets, making BMW the largest automotive exporter by value in the United States for nine consecutive years. In 2022, approximately 60 percent of BMW vehicles sold in the U.S. came from Plant Spartanburg.  The model portfolio includes six top-selling BMW X models, five Motorsport X models, and three 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.  

If you have any questions, please contact:

Corporate Communications

Nathalie Bauters, Head of Communications, BMW Manufacturing

Telephone:  864-794-0842   |   Email:  Nathalie.Bauters@bmwgroup.com 

Steve Wilson, Media Communications Specialist, BMW Manufacturing

Telephone:  864-451-3571   |   Email:  steve.wilson@bmwmc.com

BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC

BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC is a subsidiary of BMW AG in Munich, Germany, and is the global producer of the BMW X3, X3 M, X5, X5 M and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles; the BMW X4, X4 M, X6 and X6 M Sports Activity Coupes; and the all-new BMW XM.  In addition to the South Carolina manufacturing facility, BMW Group North American subsidiaries include sales, marketing, and financial services operations in the United States, Canada and throughout Latin America; a manufacturing plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico; and a design firm and technology office in California. For more information on BMW Manufacturing, visit www.bmwusfactory.com.

BMW Group in America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles as well as the new BMW XM. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 349 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 146 BMW motorcycle retailers, 104 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwgroupusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com.

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