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New BMW X7 pre-production starts

BMW X7 2018 pre production
Teaser view of new BMW X7 in pre-production

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2 January 2018

New BMW X7 starts USA pre-production

  • BMW Group Spartanburg plant prepares for BMW X7 series production
  • Fifth BMW X model joins line
  • New BMW X7 to be launched at the end of 2018.

THE FIRST pre-production models of the new BMW X7 sports activity vehicle have rolled off the line at the BMW Group Spartanburg plant in the United States ready for 12 months of testing under extreme conditions prior to launch.

Knudt Flor, head of the BMW Group Spartanburg plant where the X models are produced, said: “This is a very special vehicle and our employees are looking forward to yet a further member of the X family. Together with the BMW X7, a total of five BMW X models will be exported from Spartanburg to all four corners of the globe.”

Production of pre-series models serves to secure and optimise future series production. Consequently, BMW X7 pre-production models use the same assembly line as the BMW X5 and BMW X6 production models.

new BMW X7
Camouflage conceals new X7 lines

A specially trained team oversees the production process for new models and qualifies employees for future series production.

The pre-production models built at Spartanburg are handed over to development specialists for homologation and registration as well as for endurance tests and test drives under extreme conditions in the desert regions of Death Valley or on the ice and snow covered slopes of Scandinavia.

The pre-production model is fitted with its camouflage wrap while still at the plant. The conspicuous striped patterns are designed to help conceal the new SAV’s final look as far as possible.

5th series from BMW Group’s largest plant

Spartanburg produces BMW X models for the USA and the global market and with record production figures of more than 411,000 units in 2016, Spartanburg is currently the BMW Group’s largest plant worldwide.

new BMW X7
Spartanburg is BMW Group’s largest plant

Around 70 per cent of the vehicles produced in Spartanburg are exported to 140 countries throughout the world. According to the US Ministry of Trade, the BMW Group is therefore the largest vehicle exporter in the USA measured in export value. Maximum annual production capacity stands at around 450,000 vehicles.

The BMW Group Spartanburg plant employs more than 9,000 people; a further 1,000 jobs are to be added by the year 2021. Each day, 1,400 BMW X3, X4, X5 and X6 models come off the assembly line at the Spartanburg plant; these will be complemented by the fifth series, the new BMW X7, for which the Spartanburg plant is currently preparing.

To date, the BMW Group has invested eight billion US dollars in the production location and has built around 3.9 million vehicles since being taken into operation on 8 September 1994.

Technical details for the new car, such as fuel consumption and CO2 emissions will be revealed closer to launch.

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