TINA.org Reports BMW to Regulators for Deceptive Made in USA Claims

MADISON, CONN. Oct. 18, 2023—Ad watchdog truthinadvertising.org (TINA.org) has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against BMW for making deceptive Made in USA claims. Despite advertising that its X range models are made in America at its factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina, these vehicles are actually either assembled in the U.S. using a substantial number of imported parts or entirely imported from foreign countries, according to TINA.org’s investigation.

Under the FTC’s Made in USA standard, “made,” “manufactured” or “built” in the USA means that “all or virtually all” the product has been made in America. By contrast, TINA.org found that the “most American” 2023 BMW X model, the X3, is comprised of only 40 percent U.S./Canadian content, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Furthermore, as part of its BMW investigation, TINA.org compiled a sampling of more than 500 2023 BMW X range vehicles for sale at dealerships across the United States that are from plants located in either Germany or South Africa.

“While companies have every right to promote their contribution to the American economy by highlighting local workers and certain processes performed domestically, they cannot exaggerate the extent of their U.S.-based manufacturing,” said TINA.org Executive Director Bonnie Patten. “American consumers, who prefer products that are made in the U.S. and are even willing to pay a premium for them, deserve truthful origin marketing from the auto industry.”

The complaint comes nearly a year after TINA.org sent BMW a letter regarding its deceptive marketing of certain vehicles as “built” or “manufactured” in the United States. That letter was part of a larger investigation into misleading made in the USA claims in the automotive industry, which resulted in several automakers removing marketing materials flagged by TINA.org.

BMW isn’t the first German automaker with a factory in South Carolina that TINA.org has found making deceptive made in the USA claims. In 2019, in response to a TINA.org investigation and letter to the car company, Mercedes-Benz halted a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign for its Sprinter van that deceptively advertised the vehicle as “built in the USA.”

To read more about BMW’s deceptive marketing see: https://truthinadvertising.org/brands/bmw/