BMW celebrated one heck of a milestone last month when the 7 millionth automobile rolled off the assembly line in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The automaker’s Plant Spartanburg manufacturing facility, which opened in 1994, screwed together a luxurious Alpina XB7 to celebrate the occasion, which will go on to live a pampered life as a part of the historic collection at the factory for visitors to see. Plant Spartanburg has been producing cars in the US for more than 30 years now, currently churning out the X3 through X7 “Sports Activity Vehicles,” as well as the polarizing XM.
- Base Trim Engine
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4.4L Twin-Turbo V8 Gas
- Base Trim Transmission
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8-Speed Automatic
- Base Trim Drivetrain
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All-Wheel Drive
The In-House Alpina Team Made Some Adjustments
The XB7 is among the vehicles produced at Plant Spartanburg, which churns out more than 1,500 vehicles each day. The factory completed assembly of the 7 millionth vehicle in March, but from there, the Alpina Green SUV went to Spartanburg’s white-glove team for a few adjustments, including a specially designed front fascia, rear diffuser, roof spoiler, and commemorative badge. Like all XB7s, the 7 millionth South Carolinian BMW comes equipped with a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8, which makes a healthy 631 horsepower and 590 pound-feet, up from the 523 hp and 553 lb-ft found in the X7 M60i.
Alpina, which has been a fully owned subsidiary of BMW since 2022, is also known for its unique interior finishes and luxury features. Extended Merino leather is standard on every XB7, and the cabin also gets exclusive piano black or walnut trim with special Alpina badges and inlays. Glass controls, plush carpeting, and the division’s signature blue and green stitching appear inside, and the specially tuned air suspension offers greater comfort without sacrificing performance. Although not as aggressive as a pure M model, the Alpina XB7 is an excellent dynamic foil to the Mercedes-Maybach GLS-Class, which costs about $20,000 more and skews toward comfort and luxury..
Plant Spartanburg And Its Exports
Believe it or not, BMW is actually the largest exporter of vehicles by value from the US. Of those 1,500 vehicles built each day in South Carolina, around 60 percent of them are destined for other markets. Last year, BMW exported 225,000 of its US-built SUVs, with a total economic value of more than $10 billion, according to the Department of Commerce. What’s more, Plant Spartanburg has built 60 percent of all BMWs sold in the last decade, owing to the global popularity of the X-branded sport-utes manufactured there. For example, the majority of all X3 and X4 models sold in Europe are built in South Carolina, though plants in South Africa and China build cars for local and nearby markets.
Related
New Trump Tariff Rules Make Importing Parts And Materials Less Costly
Automakers will no longer be charged duties on raw materials if they’re already being saddled with tariffs on imported cars.
Despite its massive manufacturing footprint for BMW, cars that come from Plant Spartanburg will still be subject to Donald Trump’s 25 percent tariff on imported vehicles because they’re comprised of less than 85 percent domestic parts. Those tariffs are also resulting in a pause in production on BMW EVs, which are all built in Germany. The evolving tariff situation may provide some relief to automakers as they attempt to onshore their production and logistics chains, but it’s not clear if that will apply to BMW – its compatriot Porsche has already announced it won’t build cars in the US.
Source: BMW
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