BMW’s sprawling assembly plant near Spartanburg, S.C., its largest production hub in the world, will play a vital role in the automaker’s ambitions to be an EV leader.
According to AutoForecast Solutions, U.S. production of the battery-powered iX5 crossover should start in late 2026, followed by the iX7 a year later.
But in the present, the 7 million-square-foot factory is powering BMW’s U.S. sales, pumping out high-volume, high-margin utility vehicles.
Light trucks accounted for more than two-thirds of the 78,031 vehicles BMW sold in the third quarter. Crossover sales grew 19 percent in the quarter.
Increased allocation of crossovers from Spartanburg meant dealers had product to meet strong demand.
“We utilized our home field advantage,” Bugbee said.
BMW dealers turned about 75 percent of available inventory and ended the quarter with only a 10-day supply.
For the fourth quarter, Bugbee forecasts “close to double-digit” year-over-year growth as new products, such as the redesigned 7 Series sedan and X1 crossover, arrive.
“Our inventory position will improve for Q4,” he said.
But the executive doesn’t yet envision an end to the parts supply shortages that have bedeviled the industry since the pandemic’s start.
“It’s a little bit too early to talk about 2023 as it relates to availability,” Bugbee said. “I would expect it to continue to improve, but it’s coming from a low bar.”
