The BMW Group is a manufacturing juggernaut operating 33 factories producing cars and engines worldwide. If we’re talking strictly about vehicle assembly, Plant Spartanburg was the most prolific site in 2024. It produced 396,117 SUVs, as small as the X3 and as large as the X7 and XM. The “Home of the X” was also the largest automotive exporter in the United States, recording an export value of over $10 billion.
2023’s most productive car factory in the BMW Group network, the Dadong plant in China, had to settle for second place last year. It’s where the long-wheelbase X5 is assembled alongside the 5 Series and the X3, which also have an elongated wheelbase. Additionally, it’s where the iX3 is exclusively built. However, the CLAR-based electric crossover will be retired in the second quarter of the year.
Regensburg occupied the last place on the podium, with the German plant almost tying Dadong for second place. Just 1,452 cars separated the two factories. In the city in eastern Bavaria, BMW assembles the X1 and X2 compact crossovers. As many as 1,400 units are manufactured in Regensburg each day.
Although the Debrecen site is already listed, the new Hungarian factory only assembled prototypes in 2024. Series production of the second-generation iX3 (Neue Klasse) won’t start until late this year. Additional models, presumably the rumored iX4, will likely be built there later this decade.
The BMW Group also included factories operated by partners, such as Magna Steyr’s plant in Steyr. It’s where the Z4 rolls off the assembly line, although its days are numbered. The last roadster will allegedly be made in March 2026.
VDL Nedcar’s plant in Born, The Netherlands, is also listed. However, production of the previous-generation MINI Countryman and MINI Cooper Cabrio ended in February 2024. The new-generation models are made in-house, specifically in Leipzig and Oxford, respectively.
If Spotlight doesn’t ring a bell, it’s a joint venture between the BMW Group and Great Wall Motor. It operates a newly built plant in Zhangjiagang, where the electric MINI Cooper 3-Door and Aceman are exclusively manufactured. BMW had planned to build the two EVs in the UK as well from 2026, but production has been delayed indefinitely.
Source: BMW