March 18, 2008

By ANNA FERGUSON

The Brunswick News

Expect to see more BMW vehicles rolling into the Port of Brunswick.

The Germany luxury automotive manufacturer says it will be importing 20 percent of its inbound vehicles to Brunswick's Colonel's Island Terminal.

While this means more business for Brunswick, it means less for Charleston, S.C., where the vehicles had been imported.

The shift will reduce shipping and transportation costs to car dealers in the Southeast, said officials with the Georgia Ports Authority.

Tony Aliotta, manager of the Brunswick port, wasn't surprised when BMW decided to move imports to Brunswick.

While economic hardships may be sweeping through industries nationwide, the Brunswick terminal hasn't felt the wave. The port is flourishing, he said.

Aliotta pointed to an increase in other luxury vehicle imports already in the works. The port recently signed a contract with Mercedes Benz to be the key import site for the Southeast.

"We are doing more business," Aliotta said. "We are a first-class facility and that makes things easier for everybody."

This isn't the first time Brunswick has been picked for luxury car imports over other Southeast ports.

In 2002, Porsche Cars of North America opted to import through Brunswick rather than the North Charleston Import Center. At that time, the company said the shift saved Porsche $6 million and smoothed the process of transporting cars through the region.