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The BMW Group announced recently that it will be investing over $1 billion in the USA by the year 2012, thus underlining its long-term commitment to the largest automobile market in the world.
BMW announced in March 2008 that it would be investing $750 million dollars in the expansion of the BMW Spartanburg plant in South Carolina. This will take the plant production capacity from 160,000 units to 240,000 units by the year 2012. The expansion will increase the size of the plant by 60 percent, or from 140,000 square feet to 370,000 square feet. In addition, 500 new jobs will be created at the Spartanburg County plant. The expansion of the plant means an increase in purchasing volume in the NAFTA region and also an increase in export volume. After the expansion, the Spartanburg County plant will produce not only the BMW X5 and X6 models, but also the X3 for world markets. It currently is also the only production plant for the BMW Z4 sports car. BMW's US headquarters in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey is being expanded at a cost of $100 million. The new buildings opened on June 12, 2008, providing office space for the US sales region, which also include facilities for engineering operations and training. A workforce of approximately 1,000 will be working at the extended site. At the opening of the complex, known as the "BMW of North America Campus", Ian Robertson, BMW board of directors member, said; "The investments are a clear sign of our strong belief in the potential of the U.S. market. We know that we have to invest in the world's biggest market if we want to be successful on a worldwide scale. The long term market outlook for the U.S. is positive - even though the country is navigating through a soft economy today. The U.S. will remain by far the leading premium vehicle market in terms of size and impact and we are well prepared to be part of the growth." For 16 years, the BMW Group has been recording increased sales volume in the US market. In 2007, over 336,000 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles were sold here. The BMW Group will be investing a further $170 million by the end of the year in two new regional parts distribution centers in Pennsylvania and Illinois. After their completion, the company will have six distribution centers in the USA for the rapid supply of spare parts to its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce trading partners. (Photos provided by BMW Manufacturing.)
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