BMW commits to port of Charleston

BMW commits to port of Charleston    BMW Manufacturing Co. signed this week a 10-year extension of its agreement to use the port of Charleston, S.C. as the gateway for vehicle imports and exports for a 22-state area.
   BMW imports have grown from 65 vehicles in 1995, when the first service contract was struck, to more than 115,000 imported and exported vehicles last year. BMW estimates annual import and export volumes to exceed 150,000 during the course of the new contract.
   The port of Charleston has been a major shipping hub for BMW since it set up an auto plant in Spartanburg. BMW exports Z3, Z4 and X5 sport utility vehicles made there to overseas markets. BMW distributes German-made cars through the port to dealerships in 11 states, and plans to expand the number of states served to 22.
   BMW also imports parts, such as engines from BMW plants in Germany and Austria and transmissions from Central Europe, for installation at the Spartanburg plant. During the last 10 years, BMW’s parts imports have more than doubled, from about 70 containers per week in the late 1990s to more than 144 per week, or 7,500 per year, in 2003.