<P> Three unique models that BMW Motorsport created for the South African market were the E23 M745i (1983), which used the M88 engine from the BMW M1, the BMW 333i (1986), which added a six - cylinder 3.2 - litre M30 engine to the E30, and the E30 BMW 325is (1989) which was powered by an Alpina - derived 2.7 - litre engine . </P> <P> BMWs with a VIN starting with "NC0" are manufactured in South Africa . </P> <P> BMW cars have been officially sold in the United States since 1956 and manufactured in the United States since 1994 . The first BMW dealership in the United States opened in 1975 . In 2016, BMW was the twelfth highest selling brand in the United States . </P> <P> The manufacturing plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina has the second highest production of the BMW plants worldwide, currently producing approximately 1,400 vehicles per day . The models produced at the Spartanburg plant are the X3, X4 and X5 SUV models . </P>

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