BMW Manufacturing Co. produced its 500,000th X5 Sports Activity Vehicle today, just five and a half years after its market introduction.

The milestone vehicle is an X5 3.0d, equipped with a 3.0-liter inline six- cylinder diesel engine and outfitted with the BMW Individual Maritime package, consisting of Midnight Blue exterior paint, Walknappa Champagne leather, Mahogany Maritime fine-wood trim, and BMW individual light alloy V-spoke 19-inch wheels.

The 500,000th X5 will be shipped and delivered to a customer in Hamburg, Germany.

The first X5 sports activity vehicle rolled off the production lines at BMW Manufacturing's Spartanburg plant on September 1, 1999. Less than two years later, the 100,000th X5 milestone was reached on August 23, 2001.

The X5 sports activity vehicle is produced exclusively at BMW Manufacturing Co. for distribution to more than 120 worldwide markets. BMW is the largest exporter of U.S.-made automobiles, exporting 60 percent of its production.

BMW Manufacturing Co. is a subsidiary of BMW AG in Munich, Germany. In addition to the South Carolina manufacturing facility, BMW's North American subsidiaries include sales, marketing and financial services operations in the United States, Canada and throughout Latin America; an information technology consulting and systems integration firm in South Carolina; and a design firm in California.

-BMW Manufacturing Co.-