The German automaker confirmed its iX5 will be the first fully electric BMW assembled in the U.S., starting late 2026
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BMW announced the completion of a $1.7 billion investment in its South Carolina operations on Tuesday, finishing an expansion of its existing Spartanburg plant and the construction of a new facility in Woodruff that will support electric vehicle assembly.
The company confirmed that the BMW iX5 will be the first fully electric BMW vehicle assembled in the U.S. Production of the iX5 at Plant Spartanburg is set to get underway before 2027 concludes, making it the first all-electric vehicle to roll off a BMW assembly line on American soil. BMW Group said it plans to assemble at least six fully electric models in the U.S. by 2030, with high-voltage batteries supplied by Plant Woodruff.
BMW marked the milestone at a "Home of X $TWTR" event in Spartanburg, which also served as the world premiere of the fifth-generation BMW X5. The new X5 will be the first vehicle offered with five drivetrain options: internal combustion, battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, diesel, and hydrogen fuel cell. Plant Spartanburg will be the first facility in BMW's global production network capable of assembling a single vehicle model across all five drivetrain types on one assembly line, the company said.
"Today, we are delivering on that commitment," said Milan Nedeljković, chairman of the board of management of BMW AG, in a statement. "The completion of our investments in Plant Spartanburg and Plant Woodruff demonstrates our confidence in the United States and reinforces South Carolina's role at the center of BMW Group's global operations."
The $1.7 billion investment was first announced in 2022. Together, the Spartanburg and Woodruff plants form what BMW described as an integrated network for X model assembly and electrification. Operating for more than thirty years, Plant Spartanburg turned out 412,799 vehicles in 2025, with roughly half of that production shipped to customers across nearly 120 countries. BMW said it is the leading automotive exporter in the U.S. by value, with close to 3 million vehicles exported from the country to date, valued at more than $113 billion.
Both plants incorporate elements of BMW's iFACTORY production model, including AI-based quality controls, digital twins for process planning, and humanoid robots from Figure AI for physically demanding tasks. At Plant Woodruff, battery cells are assembled directly into their housing using a "Cell-to-Pack" approach that eliminates intermediate module production steps, the company said.
BMW said its U.S. operations support more than 120,000 jobs across the country and contribute more than $43.3 billion annually to the U.S. economy.
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