BMW confirms its Figure 02 pilot supported 30,000+ X3s. Now it's trying a newer model on a logistics job.

From the archive. First announced by BMW Group, June 2026. Where it stands now: Still running, as of August 2026, Automotive Logistics, Aug. 25, 2026. Why I saved this: BMW now says in its own words that the Figure 02 pilot supported more than 30,000 X3s, which moves this beyond a vendor claim. There's still no cost data, and no word on whether the first robot hit its speed target.

Previously

In August 2024, BMW ran a weeks-long trial of a Figure 02 humanoid loading sheet metal at Plant Spartanburg, S.C. BMW's Aug. 6, 2024 release said at the time: "Currently, there are no Figure AI robots at BMW Group Plant Spartanburg, and there is no definite timetable established for bringing Figure robots to the plant. BMW Group will continue to work with Figure for data capturing and training capabilities for the Figure02 robots." In April 2025, a BMW spokesperson told Fortune one Figure robot worked on site at any given time, off-hours until March, despite the CEO's talk of a "fleet." Part 2 rates that claim Disputed ✕. In November 2025, Figure said the robot ran 10-hour weekday shifts, loaded 90,000+ parts and contributed to 30,000+ X3s, but published no results against its speed and accuracy targets.

SPARTANBURG, S.C., June 2026 — BMW Group Plant Spartanburg, which builds the X3, began demonstrating a Figure 03 humanoid robot on a parts-sequencing job in logistics, after a Figure 02 pilot in its body shop. Here's what changed since Part 3 (November 2025), what it cost, and what went wrong.

Cost and outcome (as of June 2026)

Cost: Not disclosed by either company.
Figure 02 output (BMW): "Supported the production of more than 30,000 BMW X3 vehicles over ten months" in the body shop in 2025. (BMW)
Figure 02 runtime (BMW): "Around 1,250 operating hours," "more than 90,000 components," ten-hour shifts Monday to Friday. (BMW, Feb. 2026)
Speed and accuracy results: Still not published.
Figure 03 status: "Will now start" on sequencing; Figure calls it "the first demonstration." (BMW, Figure)
Number of Figure 03 robots: Not stated.

What BMW confirms

BMW first put Figure 02's numbers in its own words on Feb. 27, 2026: within ten months, it "supported the production of more than 30,000 BMW X3," moved "more than 90,000 components" and logged "around 1,250 operating hours." The June release repeats the output figure. "The Figure 02 robot supported the production of more than 30,000 BMW X3 vehicles over ten months," BMW says. "In the body shop, the robot inserted sheet-metal parts for the welding process — a task that demands high speed and accuracy and can be physically demanding."

Ulrich Wieland, BMW Manufacturing's vice president of production control and logistics, called the Figure 02 work a completed pilot: "Having already successfully completed a pilot with Figure 02 in our body shop, we are now looking forward to deploying Figure 03 for a sequencing use case in logistics."

The timelines still differ slightly. BMW says "over ten months." Adcock, in the same release, says "our 11-month deployment."

The new job

Sequencing means sorting parts into the exact order the assembly line will use them. BMW describes the workflow:

Parts arrive unsorted in large containers.
Figure 03 picks them and sorts them into a sequencing trolley.
The trolley goes to a collection point.
An automated tugger train (a driverless cart train) or a Smart Transport Robot takes the parts to the line, where they reach workers "just in sequence."

BMW says the task "occurs frequently in automotive production logistics." Figure's post adds that Figure 03 pulls "a heavy cart on caster wheels" as part of the job. It runs on Helix 02, which Figure calls its "pixels-to-actions VLA," an AI model that turns camera input directly into movements.

The work is in Hall 52, where BMW builds X3 variants and, in the future, the "electrified BMW iX5."

What's new in the robot

Adcock lists Figure 03's changes: soft components "designed for enhanced safety," wireless charging "designed for higher availability," speech-to-speech audio, and hands with tactile sensors and palm cameras. In November, Figure said it rebuilt the wrist electronics after the forearm became Figure 02's "top hardware failure point."

What's changed

BMW's numbers, repeated. BMW confirmed the 30,000-car, 90,000-part and 1,250-hour figures in February; the June release repeats the output.
A new job, a new robot. The move is from body-shop loading to logistics sequencing, with Figure 03 in place of the retired Figure 02.
It's a start, not a rollout. BMW says Figure 03 "will now start." Figure calls it "the first demonstration."

What went wrong

Still no cost. Neither company has disclosed what the pilot or the robots cost.
Still no results against the targets. The 84-second cycle time, 99% placement rate and zero-intervention goals from 2025 have no published outcomes.
Dates don't line up. BMW says ten months, and Figure says 11.
What we don't know yet: how many Figure 03 robots BMW plans to run at Spartanburg, how long the test will run, and what success looks like.

Our follow-up question for BMW Manufacturing

What does Figure 03 need to show on the sequencing job (speed, accuracy, interventions per shift) for BMW to move it from a demonstration to daily production?

Since publication

Added Aug. 2026: A BMW spokesperson told Automotive Logistics the test focuses on validating the application "rather than communicating target quantities for future robot deployment." (Automotive Logistics)
Added Aug. 2026: Automotive Logistics reported that Figure 03's wireless charging is "designed to increase availability with two robots working in tandem": one works 4–5 hours while the other charges. BMW hasn't said how many are on site. (Automotive Logistics)

Sources

BMW Group, “BMW Group advances the use of Physical AI in production with Figure 03 project in Spartanburg,” June 25, 2026. press.bmwgroup.com
Figure AI, “F.03 Arrives at BMW,” June 30, 2026. figure.ai
Figure AI, “F.02 Contributed to the Production of 30,000 Cars at BMW,” Nov. 19, 2025. figure.ai
Jason Del Rey, “Is Figure AI's BMW robot partnership what its founder Brett Adcock says?” Fortune, April 6, 2025. fortune.com
BMW Group, “Successful test of humanoid robots at BMW Group Plant Spartanburg,” Aug. 6, 2024. press.bmwgroup.com
Marcus Williams, Automotive Logistics, Aug. 25, 2026. automotivelogistics.media
BMW Group, “BMW Group to deploy humanoid robots in production in Germany for the first time,” Feb. 27, 2026. press.bmwgroup.com
Earlier in this series: Parts 1–3. /case/bmw-figure-humanoid-test, /case/bmw-figure-humanoid-fleet-claim, /case/bmw-figure-humanoid-deployment-report

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