The carmaker’s North American CEO Tom Purves has revealed that U.S. production of its powertrains is under consideration, however, he also emphasized that it’s still “a long way off.”
By 2010, BMW plans to build three vehicles Stateside, the next-gen X3, X5 SUV and the X6 crossover (pictured), so to Purves it simply makes sense to build the powertrains locally. According to Automotive News, most carmakers localize engine production if vehicle numbers fall roughly between 200,000 and 250,000 units per year.