BMW has been systematically advancing in the digitization and automation of its production processes, and at the Dingolfing factory in Munich, the brand has now taken a step forward with the “Automated Driving In-Plant” plan.
This is a system that utilizes autonomous driving, with the models produced there leaving the production line autonomously and without a driver once completed.
In addition to the BMW Series 5 and Series 7 in Dingolfing, this technology is now also used for the MINI Countryman. In Dingolfing, the new vehicles travel completely autonomously along a route of over one kilometer to the finishing area, which is only possible thanks to advanced technology that employs a set of sensors installed along the route, constituting the largest LIDAR infrastructure in Europe.
Regardless of the vehicle’s equipment options, this system controls the automated movements of all produced models, using state-of-the-art cloud architecture.
“Autonomous driving in the factory optimizes our production process and provides significant efficiency gains for our logistics,” explains Milan Nedeljković, a member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for production. “That’s why we will quickly implement this technology across our entire production network.”
In this regard, BMW has already revealed that the Leipzig plant plans to introduce autonomous driving in about 90% of the BMW and MINI models it produces. The facilities in Regensburg, Germany, and Oxford in the UK will begin using this new technology in 2025.
For its part, the new facility in Debrecen, Hungary, will also implement this technology starting from the official launch of mass production.
