The Ultimate Fixing Machine

摘要

On September 8, 1994, BMW built its first car in North America. The event, in a new BMW Manufacturing Company (BMWMC) plant located in a former peach orchard between Spartanburg and Greenville, South Carolina, marked an early milestone on its road to becoming the first European carmaker to establish a lasting manufacturing presence in America. BMWMC built 3-series, then Z3S and Z4S; now its South Carolina facility is the world's sole supplier for the X5 and the X6, with as much as 71 percent of annual output (hovering around 170,000 units, which exceeds the plant's stated capacity, thanks to regular overtime shifts) destined for export. Plans to build the next X3 are in place, along with the upcoming hybrid version of the X6. Last September, the factory's 1.5 millionth car-a right-hand-drive, dark blue X6 headed for Hong Kong-rolled off the line and the company paused, briefly, to celebrate.