BMW tested Figure's humanoid robot in its South Carolina body shop for several weeks. Here's what it actually did.

From the archive. First announced by BMW Group, August 2024. Where it stands now: Still running, as of August 2026, Automotive Logistics, Aug. 25, 2026. Why I saved this: A humanoid robot loading sheet-metal parts at a real car plant is a striking sight. But BMW released no cost, speed or uptime figures, and with the test complete, said no Figure robots were currently at the plant.

SPARTANBURG, S.C., August 2024 — BMW Group Plant Spartanburg, the carmaker's large U.S. factory, put a Figure 02 humanoid robot on one body-shop task, loading sheet-metal parts into fixtures, in a trial that ran several weeks. Here's what changed, what it cost, and what went wrong.

Cost and outcome (as of August 2024)

Cost: Not disclosed.
Task: Placing sheet-metal parts into fixtures, which were then "assembled as part of the chassis." (BMW)
Length: "A trial run lasting several weeks." (BMW)
Result: BMW says the robot "successfully inserted" the parts. No speed, accuracy or uptime figures. (BMW)
Number of robots: Not stated.
Status: Test complete. "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 and Figure are "collaborating to prepare Figure for future applications in production." (BMW)

The job

The task was small and specific. In the body shop, where steel panels are joined into the car's frame, Figure 02 picked up sheet-metal parts and set them into fixtures. A fixture is a jig that holds parts in exact position so they can be joined. BMW says the step needs a "particularly dexterous" robot, which is why it chose it for the trial.

BMW gave a second reason: a robot on this kind of work "can save employees from having to perform ergonomically awkward and tiring tasks."

Who's involved

Figure is a California robotics company. Figure 02 is its second-generation humanoid, a robot built roughly in human shape, with legs and two hands, so it can work in spaces designed for people. Adcock used the BMW announcement to unveil the robot. He said Figure 02 "recently completed successful testing at the BMW Group Plant Spartanburg."

According to Figure, via BMW's release, Figure 02 has three times the processing power of the earlier model, hands with 16 degrees of freedom each (16 independent motions per hand), better cameras and sensors, and can place parts "with accuracy measured in millimetres." Those are Figure's specs, not BMW's test results.

What BMW says it learned

BMW didn't publish numbers. It said the trial taught it "what requirements must be met" to fit multi-purpose robots into an existing production line, including "how humanoid robots communicate with the system under real conditions." That means the robot has to talk to the plant's control systems, not just do the physical task.

Nedeljković, BMW's board member for production, framed it as early work: "With an early test operation, we are now determining possible applications for humanoid robots in production. We want to accompany this technology from development to industrialization."

What's next

BMW says it and Figure are working together to prepare the robot "for future applications in production" and to keep developing it based on what they learned. The same release says that "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," and that BMW "will continue to work with Figure for data capturing and training capabilities for the Figure02 robots." It doesn't say how many robots BMW might use, or on which jobs.

Why it matters

For a plant manager, this is a proof of concept, not a business case. A humanoid did one placement job in a real body shop for a few weeks. BMW didn't say how fast it worked, how often it needed help, or what it cost. Those are the numbers that decide whether a robot earns a station on the line.

What went wrong

No performance data. BMW reports success but no cycle time, error rate or uptime.
No cost. Neither company disclosed what the trial or the robot costs.
Short trial. "Several weeks" on one task isn't a production run.
Robot count unknown. The release doesn't say how many robots took part.
No return date. BMW says there's "no definite timetable" for bringing Figure robots back to the plant.

Our follow-up question for BMW Manufacturing

How fast did Figure 02 load each fixture compared with an associate, how often did a person have to step in, and what would it take to put a humanoid on that station full time?

Sources

BMW Group, “Successful test of humanoid robots at BMW Group Plant Spartanburg,” press release, Aug. 6, 2024. press.bmwgroup.com
BMW Group trial video (linked in release). b.mw
Marcus Williams, Automotive Logistics, “Figuring out humanoid logistics at Spartanburg,” Aug. 25, 2026. automotivelogistics.media

Disclosure: [not in copy] Editor placeholder