BMW has only one factory in the U.S., and it happens to be just outside of Greenville, SC. Located along I-85 in Greer, the BMW Spartanburg plant is where every one of its X series of SUVs and crossovers is made. And if you’ve ever wondered what goes into making one of these “Ultimate Driving Machines,” you can get a behind-the-scenes look by taking a BMW plant tour.
What to know about the BMW plant tours
Booking the tour
BMW plant tours are only available during normal business hours Monday through Friday and you need to book your tour online in advance. I recommend booking early. We did our visit when our German friend was in town and even though we booked a few weeks out before his arrival, there weren’t many options left.
The plant offers 1-hour and 2-hour plant tours. The 1-hour tour takes you through the assembly hall, while the 2-hour one also includes the body shop. What’s the difference? The assembly hall is where you see the main pieces of the car come together. The body shop is where you get a glimpse into the car being made from scratch.
Trust me on this: you want to book the 2-hour tour. That additional 1 hour and the higher ticket price (a $10 difference) are worth it. When we went, the 2-hour tour was $25 per person, but there’s a $5 discount for students between the ages of 12 and 20, and BMW Car Club members. Children under the age of 12 are not allowed on tours.
What to wear and bring
Make sure you wear closed-toed shoes and if you have a backpack, leave it in your car. Purses and handbags are okay to bring on the tour.
Before you head out for your tour they’ll give you safety glasses and a headpiece. They’ll also tell you to power off your cell phones and smartwatches. This is not a request. You can not use your phone or take photos on the tour. And they take it seriously. One guy took his phone out on the bus at the end of the tour and they threatened to call security.
Check out the Zentrum
Before your tour, check out the Zentrum museum. The tour starts there and BMW asks that you arrive 30 minutes prior to your tour time, which is really about all the time you need to enjoy the museum. They have on display the famous Isetta “Bubble car,” a Formula 1 car from the 2000 season, and everything from their classics to modern electric models.
What you see on the BMW plant tour
Since I can’t share photos from the tour, I’ll do my best to describe what you’ll see. First you’ll board a bus that takes you to the body shop, which is where you’ll see the nuts and bolts of the car come together. This is where sparks fly (literally) as high-tech robots piece the frame together. This is the most exciting part of the tour, which is why I recommend booking the 2-hour option.
That takes up about the first hour of the tour, and after you’ll board the bus again and they take you to the assembly hall. Doors are added to the car, the vehicle goes through a series of tests, and it’s all finished once that famous blue and white logo (which we learned is based on the Bavarian flag, not an airplane propeller against a blue sky) to the hood. The one part you don’t get to see is the paint job, which happens in between the two halls.
At the end of the tour you can take your ticket to the gift shop in Zentrum where you’ll receive a free magnetic BMW pin. If wearing it is not your thing, they also make decent fridge magnets.
After your tour, visit the Ultimate Driving Museum
If you didn’t get enough BMW from BMW, head around the corner to the Ultimate Driving Museum. Owned by the BMW Car Club of America Foundation, this museum curates a new exhibit of BMW cars (and sometimes motorcycles) every year. In 2022 it is “The Power of M: Celebrating 50 Years.” The exhibit has 25 BMW M cars and the first M motorcycle. Each display also has a QR code you can scan to listen to an audio description about the car. My personal favorites were the “Batmobile” 1973 E09 3.0 CSL and the F92 M8 GTE IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar, which won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2019.
The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $12 per adult and $6 for kids ages 6-17. Please note that their exhibits usually run from mid May through mid January.
