BMW Group clocks one million driverless vehicle moves across its factories
BMW says its Automated Driving In-Plant (AFW) system has moved one million new vehicles without drivers since its 2022 pilot, with MINI Plant Oxford now the fourth site using the technology and Spartanburg in the United States next in line from 2027.
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A million moves without drivers
BMW Group has announced that one million new vehicles have now been moved and guided without drivers inside its plants using its Automated Driving In-Plant (AFW) technology. The milestone was communicated in a BMW Group press release on 27 October 2026 and reported by Automotive World the same day. According to the manufacturer, the system currently averages around 3,500 automated vehicle movements per day across its production network, and MINI Plant Oxford alone recorded more than 53,000 automated movements in the past year. 214
Production board member Raymond Wittmann said in the BMW Group release that the one million driverless moves and the technology's presence at four sites demonstrated the innovative strength and scaling capabilities of the production network, describing AFW as an example of translating the BMW iFACTORY vision of digital, intelligently connected production into industrial practice. 235
From 2022 pilot to four plants
AFW began as a pilot project at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing in 2022 and has since been extended to the Leipzig and Regensburg plants in Germany and, most recently, to MINI Plant Oxford in the United Kingdom. Oxford is the fourth site in the BMW Group production network to adopt the technology, which BMW describes as having progressed from a technology trial to a scalable series application that is being rolled out in stages across its global plants. 2146
BMW says the network approach is central to the system: AFW is not a single-plant solution but can be adapted to different sites, vehicle architectures and production processes. The company presents the one million completed automated movements as evidence of the application's industrial maturity, and notes the technology optimises the production process and delivers efficiency gains for logistics. 235
How the system works
AFW moves new vehicles without a driver through defined production and logistics areas by combining external sensors, a cloud architecture and advanced motion-planning software. LiDAR sensors installed along the routes continuously capture the environment, enabling real-time navigation, and vehicles respond dynamically to people, other vehicles, driverless transport vehicles, logistics traffic and temporary obstacles. Artificial intelligence supports the ongoing development, simulation and operation of the system, according to BMW Group. 246
A key design feature is the use of offboard sensors: the hardware required for automated driving is installed in the plant infrastructure rather than in each vehicle. BMW says this means vehicles can be moved automatically regardless of their individual equipment specification, and that the offboard sensors allow reliable monitoring of larger areas and narrow passages. The system is CE-certified for safe use in the production environment. At Dingolfing, where the pilot began, BMW states it operates the largest LiDAR infrastructure in Europe. 23
Oxford's deeper integration
MINI Plant Oxford is the first BMW Group location to connect automated guided vehicles directly with existing plant control systems. According to the manufacturer, the AFW system positions vehicles precisely next to a lifting device where a defined work step is carried out, with the automated interaction between vehicle and equipment enabled by a cloud-based solution. BMW characterises this as the next step in integrating and scaling automated vehicle movements in production. 236
BMW frames the Oxford deployment against the plant's history as the home of the MINI brand, with more than 100 years of industrial heritage, where it says modern software, sensor and cloud technologies now meet a long-established production environment. 27
Development partner and what comes next
BMW developed the AFW technology in close collaboration with Swiss technology company Embotech, which Automotive World identifies as the supplier of the Level 4 driving system used in the plants. The collaboration came about through the BMW Startup Garage, which identifies and supports early-stage technologies, and Embotech has been supported by BMW Group since 2018. BMW's venture capital arm, BMW i Ventures, acquired a financial interest in Embotech in December 2024, according to the manufacturer's release. 217
The rollout is set to continue: BMW Group Plant Spartanburg in the United States is planned to become the fifth site to introduce AFW in series operation from 2027, which BMW says will lay the foundation for further applications in the production environment. No Australian plant is part of the announced rollout, as BMW Group does not operate vehicle manufacturing facilities in Australia. 234
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