BMW Manufacturing begins production of X7.

Series production for the new BMW X7 sports activity vehicle has started at the manufacturer's Spartanburg plant. The BMW X7 will be built alongside the X5 and X6 on the same assembly line.

"We are excited to officially add the first-ever BMW X7 to our plant's portfolio," Knudt Flor, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing, said in a news release. "This is a completely new segment for BMW, and as the center of competence for X models, Plant Spartanburg is well-prepared to build the BMW X7 with the highest premium quality that our customers deserve."

The BMW X7 made its world debut on Wednesday at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The groundwork for production of the BMW X7 was laid in March 2014 with the announcement of a $1 billion investment in the plant site, the news release said. Since then, a new, 1.2 million-square-foot body shop has been constructed for all X models, complete with 2,000 new robots; the X5/X6 assembly hall has been expanded with new conveyors, tooling and process equipment; new specialized robots have been added to the paint shop; and nearly 2,000 jobs have been added. The result is a plant capacity of 450,000 units per year, according to the news release.

"The...