Historically, there are certain regions of the world that have long been associated with the manufacture of automobiles. For instance, in Europe, nations like Germany and Italy are widely recognized as tops in the auto industry, as the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, and more originated in those countries. Meanwhile, over the past few decades, Japan has become one of the biggest players on the automotive scene, with companies like Toyota, Honda, and Mazda calling the Asian country home.
Detroit, Michigan, is generally regarded as the birthplace of the American auto industry, thanks to contributions from auto icons like Henry Ford. Though vehicles are still being made in Detroit, many automakers from the U.S. and abroad have set up shop elsewhere in the country, with the South becoming a hotbed for manufacturing. Toyota is, perhaps, the biggest automaker to set up shop in the region, operating plants in Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama, though other manufacturers operate facilities in the South.
While South Carolina is not a name widely associated with auto manufacturing, it’s become a legit player in the American South’s automotive boom, hosting manufacturing facilities for a few of the best-known automakers in the world. You may not realize it, but that list includes BMW, with the German company now operating an 8-million square-foot facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The first Beamer ran off the production line there in 1994, with more than 6.5 million following suit in the years since.