BMW Considers Building Second US Plant

BMW is considering building a second plant in the U.S. for engines and drive trains as the Trump administration nears a decision on taxing all cars and auto parts imported from outside North America.

Nov. 29, 2018

Nov. 29, 2018—BMW is considering building a second plant in the U.S. for engines and drive trains as the Trump administration nears a decision on taxing all cars and auto parts imported from outside North America, reported The Detroit Free Press.

BMW, which manufactures close to 400,000 SUVs in Spartanburg County, S.C. annually, imports all the engines and transmissions for those vehicles from plants in Europe, according to the report. Making these key components inside the U.S. would be a way to avoid any future import taxes as well as currency fluctuations.

South Carolina Department of Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt earlier this month suggested BMW might change its production mix at the sprawling Spartanburg plant—the automaker's largest in the world—to better cope with the trade situation.