Two major Upstate business advocacy groups are pushing back against White House economic advisor Peter Navarro’s comments criticizing the business model of BMW Group’s plant in Spartanburg County.
In a joint statement released April 8 by the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and OneSpartanburg, both organizations stressed the tremendous positive economic impact of Plant Spartanburg to the regional, state and national economies. The plant is the largest exporter of vehicles by value in the U.S., shipping 225,000 vehicles worth more than $10 billion in 2024.
In full, the statement reads:
“BMW Group’s Plant Spartanburg drove Upstate South Carolina’s transformation from a declining textile economy to a thriving center of advanced manufacturing. Its $26.7-billion-dollar economic impact outperforms other major industries, multiplying across a vast network of in-state suppliers producing parts in Spartanburg, Greenville, and beyond.
“BMW is responsible for Upstate South Carolina’s density of engineering, supply chain, and logistics jobs, and has contributed to drastic quality of life and infrastructure improvements across our region.
“To put it simply, BMW’s approach has worked for Upstate South Carolina for nearly four decades. The people of our region, state, and nation have prospered due to BMW’s investment, and in turn, those people have helped BMW build its most productive manufacturing facility in the world.”
The statement came in response to comments Navarro made April 7 during an interview on CNBC related to market reactions to the Trump administration’s introduction of trade tariffs on more than 180 countries.
“This business model where BMW and Mercedes come into Spartanburg, South Carolina, and have us assemble German engines and Austrian transmissions — that doesn’t work for America,” Navarro said. “It’s bad for our economics, it’s bad for our national security.”
BMW Group Plant Spartanburg is located along Interstate 85 east of Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. It primarily builds X-series sports activity vehicles and coupes.
