BMW iX5 Sparks US Electrification Surge At Spartanburg Plant

BMW’s forthcoming iX5 is set to roll off the lines in Spartanburg next year, marking the moment its celebrated South Carolina hub swaps fuel tanks for battery packs. The coupé-profiled iX6 and the imposing iX7 are queued behind it, but the mid-size iX5 will lead BMW’s American electric charge, turning a site renowned for petrol-powered X models into a powerhouse of zero-emission SUVs.

For drivers, that means familiar X5 poise underpinned by a far leaner drivetrain. The iX5 keeps the adaptable CLAR structure, yet draws heavily on Neue Klasse hardware for motors, battery modules and control electronics. The mix allows BMW engineers to drop in a high-density cylindrical cell pack, trimming charging times and stretching cruising range towards the 560-mile target hinted at earlier this year.

Building the batteries next door will keep supply chains short and temper any future tariff turbulence. It also gives BMW the freedom to ramp up volumes quickly as demand grows. By the close of the decade, the South Carolina lines are expected to host at least six electric SUVs, effectively mirroring today’s combustion roster without giving up on driving dynamics.

While the full-size iX7 will square up against American heavyweights, the leaner iX5 is primed to challenge the Tesla Model X and forthcoming Cadillac Vistiq. The Tesla rides on a bespoke EV skateboard, yet BMW’s modular platform promises comparable efficiency without discarding the solid road manners that make current X models feel planted on twisting tarmac.

Across the Atlantic, the smaller iX3 debuts in September, showing off the same Neue Klasse toolkit at a new Hungarian factory. Whether the US version of that crossover comes from Mexico, Munich or somewhere else is still under wraps.

What is clear, though, is that BMW’s electric roadmap now has a distinctly American accent, and the iX5 will be the first to give it a voice.