BMW Group and technology partner Embotech report that they have moved one million vehicles using Automated Driving In-Plant technology across four BMW Group production sites in Germany and the UK. The milestone covers the Dingolfing, Leipzig and Regensburg plants in Germany and MINI Plant Oxford in the UK, spanning different brands, vehicle types and production and logistics processes.
Key takeaways
- Scale: The solution now handles approximately 3,500 automated vehicle movements per day with more than 99.5 percent availability, demonstrating that in-plant automated driving has moved beyond pilot status.
- Technology stack: Embotech supplies AI-based software for perception, prediction and planning, paired with a separate deterministic safety architecture independently certified by TÜV SÜD that defines and enforces the safety boundary.
- Deployment pace: The first 500,000 movements took 15 months; the second 500,000 took seven, indicating that operational experience is compounding as the system matures.
- Operational value: Automated movements support smoother vehicle flow, more stable and flexible operations, 24/7 capability independent of shift staffing, fewer transport damages, better use of space and greater safety.
For manufacturing and logistics operators, the case illustrates what is required to take automated vehicle movement from a working pilot into round-the-clock production: precision and reliability on every journey, certified safety boundaries, and supporting tools for deployment, monitoring, diagnosis and recovery. BMW describes the programme as part of its iFACTORY vision and says it is now rolling the technology out worldwide.
Source: Robotics & Automation News · Published 2026-11-02T11:37:09 · “BMW and Embotech move ‘1 million vehicles using automated driving technology’”