America loves SUVs, and BMW's X series SAVs, or Sport Activity Vehicles, are especially popula. Save for the X1 and X2, the German automaker's entire X series lineup, ranging from the X3 to the X7 are manufactured in Spartanburg, South Carolina. And 2021 was a monumental year for the facility.

BMW has announced that Spartanburg set a new production record last year with a total of 433,810 SAVs rolling off its assembly lines. That's an impressive 20 percent increase over 2020 and smashes the previous 411,620-unit record set in 2019. Also last year, the facility built a record number of plug-in hybrids, totaling about 70,000 units. That's a 48 percent increase over 2020. The X5 xDrive45e was the most popular, followed by the X3 xDrive 30e with 39,883 and over 30,000 examples produced, respectively.

"The fact that the Plant Spartanburg team set a production record during a very unpredictable year is a testament to the commitment and flexibility of our associates," said Dr. Robert Engelhorn, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing. "Our associates continue to build premium quality products that are in high demand by our customers around the world."

Remember, these X Series SAVs are shipped globally but the US remains the market leader with 179,840 Spartanburg-built vehicles sold in the country. That's 53.4 percent of all BMW USA sales. The two best-sellers? The X3 and X5. Later this year, the plug-in hybrid high-performance XM will begin series production at Spartanburg as well. This massive facility first opened its doors back in 1992 and has grown steadily ever since.

To date, BMW says it's invested nearly $12 billion into the plant. It also happens to be the carmaker's largest plant in the world. More than 1,500 vehicles complete final assembly every day. Two-thirds of its vehicles are shipped to 125 global markets. All told, the factory has the production capacity of up to 450,000 vehicles and employs over 11,000 people.

The XM and X3 and X5 PHEVs are only the beginning of an X series electrified future. "Our plant is fully on board to support BMW Group's electrification strategy," Engelhorn added. Additional electrified BMW SUVs are on the way and there's no doubt they're going to be immensely popular.