SPARTANBURG, S.C. — BMW Plant Spartanburg unveiled its next-generation X5 lineup on June 30, headlined by the automaker’s first mass-production hydrogen fuel cell vehicle — the latest sign that the Upstate’s largest industrial employer is continuing to pour capital and technology into its Spartanburg County campus.
Beginning with the 2027 model year, X5 buyers can choose among five powertrains: diesel, gasoline — including a 617-horsepower M variant — hybrid, the all-electric iX5, and the iX5 Hydrogen. The hydrogen model, which has a projected range of 466 miles per tank, does not yet have a release date. The electric iX5 carries the largest battery pack BMW has offered in a personal passenger vehicle and can fully charge in about 30 minutes.
Real estate and investment footprint
The launch builds on BMW’s recent $1.7 billion commitment to electric vehicle manufacturing in the Upstate, which includes a new battery assembly facility in Woodruff — investment that has rippled through Spartanburg County’s industrial real estate market, from supplier expansions to speculative development along the I-85 corridor.
Plant Spartanburg, located near the interchange of Interstate 85 and S.C. Highway 101 near Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, is BMW’s largest plant worldwide, employing about 11,000 people. The facility exports more than half of its vehicles to over 120 countries and has been the largest U.S. automotive exporter by value for more than a decade. In 2025, it shipped nearly 200,000 vehicles worth roughly $9 billion.
AI on the factory floor
The plant has also embedded artificial intelligence into quality control, running 1.9 million AI-powered inspections daily across 63 inspection stations, with more than 70 additional scans dedicated to the new X5.
“AI helps our team stay one step ahead, and our associates, the clarity and the confidence to make the right decisions every time,” said Robert Engelhorn, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing, at the June 30 event. “But what makes me most proud is this here: technology has not replaced people.”
Gov. Henry McMaster and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham attended the announcement, which included the unveiling of an X-shaped sculpture outside BMW’s Zentrum visitor center — a nod to Plant Spartanburg’s role as the global home of BMW’s X-series SUVs and its long-term commitment to South Carolina.
Upstate Commercial Real Estate News 
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