WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — The BMW Group's newest vehicle distribution center at the Port of Galveston, Texas, officially opened Wednesday. The distribution center, according to the company, will better serve the 45 BMW and MINI dealers in the nation’s southern region: Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas.

BMW Group will import and process approximately 32,500 vehicles annually through the facility, according to the company. The facility is fully staffed and has already started to receive shipments of cars for processing.

“Why Galveston? BMW’s southern region is growing faster than any other region in the U.S.,” said Stephan Reiff, vice president of aftersales for BMW of North America. “Building this facility allows us to continue to deliver the highest quality vehicles while providing faster delivery times to our customers.”

The vehicle distribution center is located at 1028 Harborside Drive in Galveston and includes more than 44,000 square feet of processing space in two buildings on approximately 20 acres of land. The facility will perform vehicle inspections, accessory installations, vehicle programming, and vehicle maintenance and storage.