BMW started producing cars in the United States in 1994. The company’s first American manufacturing operation was BMW Manufacturing at Spartanburg, South Carolina, where a 318i became the first BMW assembled there.
BMW announced the Spartanburg project in 1992 and opened the plant in 1994. The first vehicle rolled off the line on September 8, 1994, marking BMW’s transition from selling imported cars in the United States to building vehicles locally. The plant is located near Greer in Spartanburg County.
This date is easy to confuse with BMW’s earlier American sales history. BMW cars had been sold in the United States since the 1950s, and BMW of North America was established in 1975. Local production began much later, initially with the 3 Series, before Spartanburg became closely associated with BMW’s X-model SUVs.