For the fifth consecutive year, BMW Manufacturing led the US in automotive exports by value, according to data released this week by the US Department of Commerce.

BMW exported 234,689 X models from its Spartanburg, SC, plant during 2018. About 81% of these Sports Activity Vehicles and Coupes were exported through the Port of Charleston with an export value of more than $8.4 billion, according to Commerce Department data. This confirms that the South Carolina factory is the leading US automotive exporter by value.

The remaining 19% of BMW X models were exported through five other southeastern ports: Savannah, GA; Brunswick, GA; Jacksonville, FL; Miami, FL; and Everglades, FL. All totaled, the Spartanburg plant exported nearly 66% of its total production volume of 356,749 units. BMW Manufacturing’s production volume and exports declined slightly in 2018 due to model updates of the popular BMW X4 and BMW X5.

In 2017, BMW announced an additional $600 million investment in the Spartanburg plant from 2018 through 2021 for manufacturing infrastructure for future generations of X models. Last month, the plant produced the 4.5 millionth BMW built in South Carolina. Later in the year, associates will mark 25 years of BMW production in the state.

BMW Group Plant Spartanburg produces more than 1,400 vehicles each day. In 2018, the Spartanburg plant produced 356,749 vehicles. The factory has a production capacity of 450,000 vehicles and employs more than 11,000 people.