Which Car Brands Are Made In South Carolina?

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.

Interestingly, BMW claims that 60% of the vehicles made in its Spartanburg facility are ticketed for export to other countries, though one has to wonder if that production plan might be altered based on the fluctuating state of tariffs. Whatever the case, with more than 11,000 employees cranking out North of 1,500 BMWs per day in South Carolina, the brand is clearly not looking to cut ties with the state anytime soon.

BMW is not the only major international manufacturer that is cranking out automobiles in South Carolina these days, by the way. In fact, both Mercedes-Benz and Volvo are currently operating facilities in The Palmetto State, with the former having set up shop in Charleston, and the latter operating a facility roughly an hour away in Ridgeville. Mercedes set up its Charleston manufacturing operation in 2006, and currently employs about 1,700 people there. That crew is not, however, building the sporty rides BMW is known for throughout the world, and instead largely manufactures the brand's celebrated Sprinter Cargo Vans, which, for the record, also make for great campers.

As for Volvo, it has only been operating in South Carolina since 2016. However, the Swedish brand runs a 2.3 million square foot factory in Ridgeville, producing the S60, EX90 SUV, and Polestar EV. Those factions are soon to be joined by Scout Motors, an EV startup that is planning to build a facility in Blythewood, South Carolina, to manufacture its all-electric trucks and SUVs.