Visit this unique structure to learn about BMW’s past, present, and future at the only BMW museum in North America. As you experience the force of the BMW brand directly, from its beginnings in aviation and motorsports to its ascent to prominence on the international scene, your senses will be brought to life. Visit the museum on your own schedule to see the displays from BMW that both amaze and inspire.
Here, you can discover all of BMW’s significant achievements in both racing and touring cars. View historic and significant BMW automobiles, including the renowned Isetta “Bubblecar.” You can directly link BMW’s pioneering spirit to these exquisitely restored masterpieces as you stroll through the Zentrum. Additionally, you may discover what’s new at BMW through exhibits that highlight cutting-edge technologies and uncommon models that are available through our privileged collection.
See the X family of vehicles being constructed at BMW Manufacturing up close. These absolutely extraordinary BMWs are being built right next door at the South Carolina manufacturing facility.
The Zentrum combines innovation and performance to create a living museum. There is genuinely something for everyone at the Zentrum, where the “Ultimate Driving Machine” provides the best backstage access.
Plan a trip to the Zentrum museum at no cost to you or your family. The Zentrum museum is open from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday.
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Honoring the creativity and industry of Americans!
Important: Before going on the factory tour, phone the company. Although we make every effort to keep our data current, you should always double-check.
The sole BMW facility in the United States is a marvel of how cutting-edge tech and beautiful design can coexist. During a narrated facility tour, see for yourself how the ultimate driving machine is created. The stunning Zentrum museum also offers a self-guided tour through time and everything BMW, where you can learn about the dynamic history of one of the best automakers in the world, BMW. It’s the ultimate backstage access for the fanatic.
Experience exhibitions that both astound and inspire you on a self-guided tour of the BMW globe. Take a stroll down memory lane to discover BMW’s many achievements in both racing and touring cars. View historical BMW vehicles that are valuable and uncommon. You may also discover what’s new at BMW by visiting exhibitions that showcase cutting-edge innovations in environmental engineering and transportation safety, like the Hydrogen Car.
Discover how we ensure that each seal, each coat of paint, and each detail are precisely done by taking a factory tour. Here, you can view the complete production process that all X5s and X6s must go through before they hit the open road, from the first weld to the last inspection.
To schedule a tour, dial 1-888-TOUR-BMW. The cost of the tour is $7.00 for adults and $3.50 for students and CCA (Car Club of America) members (12 years of age and older). Reservations can be made by calling the hotel from 8:30 am to 8:00 pm EST, Monday through Friday. There must be reservations.
Children under the age of 12 are not permitted, and it’s best to wear comfortable shoes. No open-toed or heels are permitted.
Visitor Center for BMW
Would you like to see one of the greatest autos in the world up close and personal? Why not examine one prior to the engine installation and tire installation? Alternatively, even before the chassis is painted? All of stuff takes place at the BMW plant tour, which is close to Greer’s downtown.
The Zentrum Museum, which presents exhibits and multimedia presentations about the multinational carmaker weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., serves as the starting point for extensive guided tours of the only BMW production facility in the United States. Tours are chargeable. Free admission is offered to the Zentrum. Find out more by visiting the BMW website.
Zentrum BMW
The 28,000 square foot BMW Zentrum is a visitor’s center that highlights the company’s engineering, creativity, and dedication to social responsibility history. You may learn about BMW’s fascinating history in cars, motorbikes, and airplanes through fascinating exhibitions. You can also take a “virtual factory tour” to get a special “behind-the-scenes” look at how cars are manufactured. Visit the top roadside attraction today.
Tour of the BMW Zentrum Museum and Plant
If you’re in the area of Greenville, South Carolina, this is one of the top attractions you should check out.
Upon arrival, you can take in the BMW museum’s display on the past, present, and future of the BMW.
The renowned Isetta “Bubblecar” and other iconic BMW vehicles are on display here. You can also look at what’s new with BMW right now.
You may take a guided plant tour at the Zentrum museum to learn how the Ultimate Driving Machine is made.
Reservations must be made in advance, and visitors must be at least 12 years old to take the guided plant tour.
The facilities visit requires completely covered shoes. No open toe, open side, open heel, or high heel footwear is allowed.
Only when entering the Zentrum Museum are photos allowed. No pictures or other video images is allowed inside the factory during the tour. Prior to the tour, it is requested that Bluetooth gadgets, smartwatches, and cell phones be turned off.
Admission to the factory tour is $8 for students and $10 for adults.
As to why BMW relocated to South Carolina,
When BMW Chairman Eberhard von Kuenheim declared the business will construct its first full-production factory outside of Germany in June 1992, everything got underway. BMW chose South Carolina as the location due to the state’s sophisticated technical college system, deep-water port in Charleston, and strong work culture.
When did BMW first arrive in SC?
With a proposal for an inland port that is now utilized by shippers ranging from Adidas to John Deere, the automaker approached the state and Norfolk Southern.
South Carolinians waited tensely, particularly those in the upstate area near Greenville. In 1992, the region was considered as a potential location for BMW’s new production facility. A tempting offer was crafted by legislators and deal makers that, if accepted, may have a long-term effect on the state’s economy.
In the early 20th century, the area was home to one of the nation’s greatest textile manufacturing sectors. This area was seeking success after this business was mostly outsourced. But even those who were eagerly awaiting BMW’s decision to settle in South Carolina had no idea how the German business would go on to shape the state’s economic future. BMW would establish Spartanburg, South Carolina, as a center of logistics with its entry.
When then-Gov. Carroll Campbell signed legislation in April 1992 offering BMW $35 million in incentives if it chose to operate in South Carolina, the state was just as optimistic. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the state reportedly guaranteed $5 million in further tax benefits.
According to Automotive News, the state received its resolution in June 1992 with a statement made at the Greenville Marriott Hotel during a meal of bratwurst and Bavarian cabbage. South Carolina would soon welcome BMW.
The business chose South Carolina as its new home for a number of reasons at the time.
These explanations have held up better throughout time than others:
- Jim Tolson, a plant controller and administrator for the Greenville operations of German-based Robert Bosch Corp, told Automotive News in 1992 that there were European restaurants in the area. “This place has a distinct European feel about it. It seems sense that a corporation like BMW would be drawn to such setting.”
- Despite its significant state incentives, South Carolina had a reliable supply chain setup. According to a 1993 article in The New York Times, BMW was drawn to the area because of “the closeness of both the port of Charleston and major automotive suppliers.”
The choice was influenced by infrastructure, according to Steve Wilson, a BMW media communications specialist who the business has dubbed “the living archive of BMW Spartanburg.”
Wilson stated, “We had and still have a good interstate system. Because BMW had long-term intentions for its patent factory to export cars outside of the United States, “the deepwater port was a crucial factor.”
The Spartanburg site was close to an airport, and the state had a rail network. But at the time, these resources weren’t quite in the position where BMW needed them to be.
There were no international planes passing through the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport in the early 1990s. According to Automotive News, a condition of the deal that drew BMW to the state was that the airport extend its runway to let the automaker’s Transatlantic 747 freight planes to land—less than a 10-minute drive from the manufacturing site.
And as soon as BMW began operating in the area, the facility’s freight volume rapidly increased, rising by 344% YoY between 1992 and 1993. According to statistics from the airport, volume has been increasing.
Where are the BMW factories located?
- Munich, Dingolfing, Regensburg, and Leipzig are all in Germany.
- Graz, Austria
- American: Spartanburg.
- San Luis Potosi, Mexico
- Rosslyn, South Africa.
- Chennai in India.
- Shenyang, China.
- Argentina: Araquari
If you work for BMW, do you get a car?
We provide you with the chance to buy or lease the BMW or MINI car of your choice at a very special discounted price or as part of your benefits package, allowing you to personally experience the joy of driving a BMW every day.
What models of BMW are produced in Greenville, South Carolina?
According to Chairman Oliver Zipse of BMW, a brand-new car from the company would be unveiled later this year and produced at its plant in South Carolina. The BMW X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7, as well as performance versions of the most of the vehicles, are currently produced in the Spartanburg factory. It will serve both the domestic and international markets.
Where will the BMW Group World Tour stop?
You can learn more about a few production lines in the automobile industry by taking a guided tour of the BMW Group’s main facility in Munich. The primary facility is situated in Munich’s northern region, across the street from the corporate offices of the BMW Group, the BMW Museum, and BMW Welt. This plant employs about 8,000 people, including about 850 apprentices, from more than 50 different countries. As part of the global production network, about 600 engines and over 1,000 vehicles are made here every day. The flagship plant of the BMW Group represents our other manufacturing facilities and offers a close-up look at cutting-edge automotive engineering.
Please be aware:
– It is mandatory that visitors speak the language of the appropriate guided tour (German or English) or bring a professional interpreter for reasons of health and safety.
– Participants must be at least 6 years old to be accompanied on a guided tour of the Munich plant; those who are unaccompanied must be at least 14 years old.
– Please be aware that taking pictures and filming inside the plant is strictly forbidden.
– Factory tours at the BMW Group Plant Munich are typically barrier-free, but please be aware that the route may alter owing to production needs on the day of your tour.
– Weekends, state-wide holidays, and days when production is shut down are not permitted for plant tours.
– We will keep an eye on the development of COVID-19 case numbers in Germany and around the world. Individual plant tours can be abruptly rescheduled depending on how the situation develops. Due to infection control procedures, the tour’s time and content have been modified, and only a few technologies may be seen.
Reserve your tour right away. Please be aware that weekends, bridge days, and public holidays are not available for factory tours.
* Children and students under the age of 18, apprentices, students, disabled individuals, those taking a year off to volunteer for a cause related to the environment or social justice, the unemployed, the retired, members of BMW Clubs, the MGV and the BVGD, journalists, BMW staff (valid only for single tickets), and owners of the BMW Card or BMW Premium Card