BMW is a German automaker at its core, but a significant portion of its cars are not built on its home turf. The Annual Report 2023 document published this week shows that none of the company’s three most productive factories last year were in Deutschland. Dadong in China took first place with 420,586 vehicles assembled, an increase of 6.5% compared to the year before.

Known as the home of the X, Spartanburg was not far behind, with 410,793 crossovers and SUVs manufactured in 2023. Production at the factory in South Carolina went down by 1.3% year on year. Occupying the last place on the podium was another Chinese plant as 307,972 cars were made at the Tiexi plant – an increase in output of 10.1%.

The most prolific German plant last year was Dingolfing with 291,907 cars that rolled off the assembly lines or 10.1% more than in 2022. Regensburg saw the biggest jump percentage-wise among German factories as it produced 65.9% more cars compared to the year before, reaching 238,301 units. Up next was Munich with 217,480 units (+8.0%) and Leipzig with 188,199 units (+23.9%).

Across all its own factories and production sites owned by manufacturing partners, BMW made 2,661,922 cars in 2023. That number includes models for MINI and Rolls-Royce. Production went up significantly (+11.7%) over the previous year, which makes sense considering BMW Group sales hit a new record, at 2,555,341 units (+6.5%).

Numbers aside, the adjacent table is a reminder of just how complex the BMW Group’s production network is. It’s even more intricate in 2024 considering the new electric MINI 3-Door hatchback and the Aceman subcompact crossover are being made at yet another factory in China. The two EVs are produced at the new assembly plant in Zhangjiagang by Spotlight Automotive, a 50:50 joint venture between the BMW Group and Great Wall Motor.

Come 2025, the list of production sites will grow further to include Debrecen in Hungary where the next-generation iX3 luxury electric crossover is going to be built on the Neue Klasse platform.

Source: BMW