BMW Leads: China Hosts Top 2 Productive Factories

Primarily a German car manufacturer, BMW sees a significant portion of its vehicles produced elsewhere. According to the recently released Annual Report 2023, the company’s top three most productive factories last year weren’t in Germany. Dadong in China took the lead, with 420,586 automobiles manufactured, marking a 6.5% increase from the previous year.

Spartanburg, known as the “home of the X,” closely followed, manufacturing 410,793 crossovers and SUVs in 2023. The output of the South Carolina factory experienced a slight annual decrease of 1.3%. Meanwhile, the Tiexi plant in China secured the third spot on the podium, producing 307,972 cars—a 10.1% increase in output.

Dingolfing, the most productive facility in Germany, manufactured 291,907 cars last year, marking a 10.1% increase from 2022. Regensburg experienced the highest percentage increase among German factories, producing 238,301 automobiles, a remarkable 65.9% more than the previous year. Leipzig followed with 188,199 units (+23.9%), and Munich with 217,480 units (+8.0%).

In 2023, BMW produced 2,661,922 automobiles across its own plants and production facilities owned by its manufacturing partners, including Rolls-Royce and MINI models. This marks an 11.7% increase over the previous year, which aligns with the record-breaking BMW Group sales of 2,555,341 vehicles (+6.5%).

Despite the figures, the adjacent table highlights the complex production network within the BMW Group. In 2024, this complexity intensifies as a second factory in China begins producing the Aceman subcompact crossover and the new electric MINI 3-Door hatchback. These two EVs are manufactured at Spotlight Automotive’s new Zhangjiagang assembly plant, a joint venture equally owned by Great Wall Motor and the BMW Group.

By 2025, Debrecen, Hungary, will join the roster of production locations. This is where the next-generation iX3 luxury electric crossover, built on the Neue Klasse platform, will be produced.