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Production of BMW's new X6 sports activity coupe at the company's Greer plant has begun with about a dozen cars assembled daily, with the vehicle to be unveiled to the public at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.

It will join more than 50 new models being shown to the world for the first time at Detroit, according to NAIAS.

Bobby Hitt, manager of BMW Manufacturing Co.'s public relations, said the plant began building production cars about a week ago. The production run begins small and gradually increases. After the Christmas break, workers will built about 20 cars a day in January.
The vehicles will be stockpiled so enough will be available for all dealers in the United States at the sales launch.


"You start small. You have to work with the suppliers," making sure all the components work together properly, Hitt said. "You have a glide path coming up."

He said that eventually the plant would be producing up to 150 X6s every day for an annualized total in 2008 of between 30,000 and 35,000 vehicles. The total depends on a number of variables, including market reception.

BMW plans to have a media launch of the X6 in the spring, but Hitt said he doesn't know when the sales launch is scheduled. Also, no information has been released on the price of the vehicle.
"Any time you launch a new niche vehicle in a new segment for us, it's exciting. We'll see how it will make its way in the market," Hitt said. "There's a whole lot of excitement about the new technology" in the car.


The X6 will join the BMW X5 sports activity and the Z4 roadsters and its variants in calling the South Carolina plant home. Plans are to move production of the X3, the smaller sibling of the X5, to Greer from Austria in 2010 when the life cycle of the smaller vehicle is completed. At the same time, production of the Z4 and its variants will move to Germany.

MAU, the staffing firm that hired contingency workers for BMW, plans to begin hiring more employees around the first of the year, Hitt said. As the plant ramps up to produce larger numbers of X6 vehicles, the contingency workers take up some of the slack. Currently, the plant has 4,500 permanent employees and up to 900 contingency workers.

Adding workers through MAU gives BMW more flexibility to meet the demands of the market, he said.

BMW said the X6 would create a new segment in the auto industry -- a coupe with higher seats, five doors and a large amount of cargo space. A center console separates the rear seats as well as the front seats. All four seats have high-rising side supports and integrated headrests. At the same time, the vehicle will retain the agility of a coupe and combine it with the versatility of an SAV, the company said.

The X6 will have two engine options -- the xDrive50i (4.4 V8 engine with 400 horsepower and 450 pound-foot torque) and the xDrive35i (3.0 inline six-cylinder engine with 300 horsepower and 300 pound-foot torque). Both engines have Twin Turbo and direct injection.

A standard package includes BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive technology allowing the distribution of drive power between front and rear axles, adjusting immediately to driving conditions. Also, Dynamic Performance Control -- allowing variable distribution of drive forces between the two rear wheels -- is standard on the X6, improving the stability of the car and improving traction. This is the first vehicle to have DPC as part of the standard package.

The new V8 engine, with Twin Turbo technology and direct gasoline injection, is making its world debut in the BMW X6 and is the most powerful engine ever in a BMW X vehicle.
BMW plans to introduce a hybrid X6 later. No details have been released.