BMW to invest $1.7 billion in South Carolina as automaker shifts to electric vehicles

BMW will invest $1 billion in its sprawling factory near Spartanburg, South Carolina, to start building electric vehicles and an additional $700 million to build a electric-battery plant nearby.

The German automaker's announcement Wednesday reflects its commitment to transitioning to electric-vehicle production in North America, in line with similarly ambitious plans by other major automakers.

The investment in the 7-million-square-foot vehicle factory in Greer, South Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains would add an unspecified number of jobs to the more than 11,000 workers there.