Bye! E53 - Last E53 X5 made today
 

Making Way for the New X5; The Last of the First Generation X5 Manufactured

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SPARTANBURG, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 2006--The last of the first-generation X5 Sports Activity Vehicle was produced today at BMW Manufacturing Co. in Upstate South Carolina, making way for production of the next generation X5.

The Toledo Blue 3.0is X5 sports a truffle brown leather interior with a dark grain poplar wood trim. Due to its significance to BMW, the factory will keep the vehicle for display in its Zentrum museum as part of the BMW Mobile Tradition Collection.
With the introduction of the X5 in the late 1990s, BMW opened a new market segment known as the Sports Activity Vehicle. The X5 combined the powerful acceleration and exceptional handling of a car with the advanced traction technologies and all-wheel drive of an SUV.
Built exclusively at BMW Manufacturing for distribution to more than 120 markets worldwide, the first X5 sports activity vehicle rolled off the production line on September 1, 1999. Less than two years after its introduction, the 100,000th X5 milestone was reached on August 23, 2001, and on June 9, 2005, the 500,000th X5 was produced, just five and a half years after its market introduction. The Spartanburg plant produced 616,867 X5 Sports Activity Vehicles.
In 2000, the Insurance Institute rated the X5 a "Best Pick" for Highway Safety, outperforming all other SUVs tested. The X5 not only rated higher than other SUVs, it earned a higher rating than all other vehicles previously tested by the Institute.
BMW Manufacturing Co., a subsidiary of the BMW Group based in Munich, Germany, is the exclusive manufacturer on the Z4 and M Roadster, Z4 and M Coupe and the X5 Sports Activity Vehicle. Its website address is www.bmwusfactory.com. 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, and a design firm in California.

:bawling::beerchug:

The end of an era. Bring on the E70!!!

AMF, to the best, kickAzz, road worthy "suv"
made during its time...

Pretty damn fine 7 MYs run, imo.

thanks for the article....

:beerchug: :band: I love my E53.

BTW - I see at least 4 OSHA violations in the picture. :p

Thank you Spartanburg for 5 years of pure driving pleasure after owning two E53s.

:bow:

Thank you BMW for designing an SUV (oops SAV) that handles and drives like a sports car- the original. A couple years after its introduction, you notice poseurs like the Infiniti FX, and then automakers start focusing on "on-road performance" versus "off-road performance". But the E53 started it all........:boogie: Oh and it's also the best looking SUV made.:hawt:

:iagree: - Hopefully I can get to see the new E70's built when I visit the plant this November... Great run for the E53 platform indeed!

Wow! This is a day to remember, at least for me since it is my birthday too.