BMW Will Build a New Electric S.U.V. in South Carolina

BMW said Tuesday that it would begin producing electric vehicles in the United States by the end of the year, a contrarian move when many automakers are slowing investment in the technology.The iX5, a midsize electric sport utility vehicle, which BMW unveiled Tuesday, will be the first new electric vehicle to roll off the assembly line at the German automaker’s factory in Spartanburg, S.C.By 2030, the company plans to produce at least six electric models at the plant, its largest outside Germany.Other automakers have delayed or canceled electric vehicle projects in recent months and recorded multibillion-dollar losses as a result.

They have been responding to weak U.S.sales after Congress eliminated subsidies for electric car purchases.BMW exports about half of the vehicles it makes in Spartanburg, where it produced more than 400,000 vehicles last year.

The South Carolina complex is the company’s main hub for producing the X5 and other sport utility vehicles.Exports allow BMW to benefit from strong demand for electric vehicles in Europe, where they account for 20 percent of new vehicle sales.That compares with about 6 percent in the United States.Sebastian Mackensen, the president of BMW North America, said the company needs to offer models that use a variety of technologies.

“To be successful globally, we need this product mix,” he said in an interview Tuesday.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....