BMW’s ‘Physical AI’ Robots To Build Cars In Germany Next – Is Hyundai Next In Line?

BMW Group is bringing humanoid robots into regular car production in Germany, as part of a wider push to link artificial intelligence with factory machines under its iFACTORY plan. The company calls this mix of software and hardware “Physical AI” and sees it as a way to handle tasks on the line that are repetitive, tiring or carry safety risks.

The first German pilot will run at BMW’s Leipzig plant, where humanoid robots from Hexagon Robotics, called AEON, will work in the assembly of high-voltage batteries and in component production. BMW says the robots can switch tools on their hands and move on wheels, so the same unit can work on more than one station across the plant. Tests began in late 2025 and a full pilot phase is due in summer 2026, after further trials planned from April.

This is not BMW’s first taste of humanoids on the line. At its Spartanburg plant in the United States, a humanoid robot from California start-up Figure AI, called Figure 02, supported production of the BMW X3 through 2025. In ten months, the robot helped build more than 30,000 vehicles by lifting and placing metal parts for welding, moving over 90,000 components and walking roughly 1.2 million steps during about 1,250 operating hours. BMW says that project showed that such robots can move from lab training to regular shifts in the body shop faster than expected.

Inside BMW, a new Centre of Competence for Physical AI in Production is now in charge of testing these robots and linking them with the company’s standard data platform. The unit checks new partners in stages, from lab trials to early shop-floor tests and then pilot runs at plants such as Leipzig. The group also uses its existing smart transport robots and digital twins of factories to integrate humanoids into a broader network of automated systems

BMW is not alone in betting on human-like machines. Hyundai Motor Group plans to use Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robots at its new plant in Georgia in the United States from 2028, starting with parts sequencing and then moving to more complex work by 2030. Hyundai, which owns a majority stake in Boston Dynamics, says the robots will take on high-risk and repetitive tasks while staff will train and maintain them. Other global carmakers such as Tesla and Mercedes-Benz are also testing humanoids for factory jobs, from material handling to inspection.

For now, the robots are still on pilot duty. But as BMW and Hyundai scale up their plans, the idea of humanoid co-workers on the line may soon move from news headline to normal shift.