The BMW Group is industrialising its Virtual Factory, with production planners continuously scaling applications in the digital twins of over 30 production sites to accelerate production planning worldwide. What once required several weeks of real-world modifications and testing can now be precisely simulated in the BMW Group's Virtual Factory.

For every launch, it is essential to verify that the new product fits on the production line and does not collide with its surroundings at any point. In the BMW Group's Virtual Factory, the collision check is digital, automated and fast, using construction data combined with 3D scans. The movement and rotation of a vehicle through the production lines are precisely simulated, allowing the system to automatically check for possible collisions. What now takes just three days to simulate virtually previously required almost four weeks of real testing.

Explanatory video of the round cell production (pilot line) in the CMCC in Parsdorf

Autonomous, driverless transport vehicle navigates precisely through BMW Group Plant Regensburg press plant: With the introduction of an autonomous transport vehicle at its press plant, BMW Group Plant Regensburg is driving forward with digitalisation and automation of its manufacturing processes: The company is thus taking a further step towards the digital and intelligently connected BMW iFACTORY. The driverless platform truck, with its electric drive train, will handle the internal transport of press tools and steel blanks for the press lines autonomously, with a payload of up to 55 tonnes. Using state-of-the-art sensor technology, the transport system navigates accurately and fully autonomously through the production facilities of the Regensburg press plant at a speed of four kilometres per hour - without a driver. The solution is one of a kind and currently exists nowhere else in the world.

Explanatory video of the round cell production (pilot line) in the CMCC in Parsdorf

The brand new and all-electric BMW iX1 is produced exclusively in the BMW Group plant Regensburg. Regensburg is not only home to the car production, the high voltage battery production for the iX1 is situated in Regensburg as well. This has huge advantages for sustainability due to short logistics distances.

Automated driving in the plant.

General shots: Shenyang (China) incl. driving shots BMW X1 / Powertrain Shenyang: powertrain Shenyang, CNC machine, employee training / The new plant Tiexi: outdoor shots, body shop, assembly, driving shots BMW 335Li, test track / Opening Ceremony: opening ceremony, speech Mr. Qi Yumin, Chairman of Brilliance Group, speech Mr. Wang Chao, Vice Minister of Ministry of Commerce of China, speech Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, opening ceremony.

The film showcases the rapid transformation of the automotive industry and poses the question: How fast will the transition to electromobility progress? It first highlights the increasing demand for electric vehicles, accompanied by dynamic production imagery. The growing BEV share in the production network is illustrated through key milestones. The film emphasises production flexibility, demonstrating BMW’s ability to adapt quickly to market developments with its ICE, hybrid, and BEV plants. The global expansion of electromobility is highlighted by the establishment of new fully electric production sites in Debrecen (2025) and Munich (2027). The film concludes with BMW Group’s vision: "We don't predict the future – we build it." The future of electromobility is not just anticipated – it is actively shaped.

The film showcases the rapid transformation of the automotive industry and poses the question: How fast will the transition to electromobility progress? It first highlights the increasing demand for electric vehicles, accompanied by dynamic production imagery. The growing BEV share in the production network is illustrated through key milestones. The film emphasises production flexibility, demonstrating BMW's ability to adapt quickly to market developments with its ICE, hybrid, and BEV plants. The global expansion of electromobility is highlighted by the establishment of new fully electric production sites in Debrecen (2025) and Munich (2027). The film concludes with BMW Group's vision: "We don't predict the future - we build it." The future of electromobility is not just anticipated - it is actively shaped.

The new Aeroacoustic and E-Engine Center (AEZ) starts operations at the BMW Group's Research and Innovation Center (FIZ). The building consists of two halves: In addition to a multifunctional part with workshop, testing and measurement equipment as well as a prototype for high-voltage batteries and inverters, the AEZ is home to a technically unique wind tunnel. With a length of almost 100 m, a height of 45 m and a width of 25 m, it is the world's largest vertical acoustic wind tunnel and at the same time the quietest.