Figure 03 Goes to Work! BMW Expands Deployment of Humanoid Robots to Take on More High-Intensity Production Tasks
2026-07-05 17:42:57 Source: Wall Street News Official Shanghai
BMW is moving humanoid robots from proof of concept to scaled industrial applications, and the "Physical AI" in the automotive manufacturing industry has begun to enter a substantive implementation phase.
This week, BMW's Spartanburg plant in South Carolina, USA, officially deployed Figure AI's latest generation humanoid robot, Figure 03, in assembly and logistics areas to undertake high-intensity tasks such as material handling, parts transportation, and warehouse sorting. This is a further upgrade of the cooperation between the two parties after Figure 02 entered BMW's assembly line in 2025.
JPMorgan analyst Jose Asumendi said after a field visit that the Spartanburg plant has become an important demonstration base for BMW's "Physical AI" strategy. Humanoid robots are gradually integrating into the production process, working collaboratively with workers to improve production efficiency and production line flexibility. As more and more automakers introduce robots into their manufacturing systems, humanoid robots are moving from demonstrative applications to commercial deployment.
New Generation Figure Robot Officially Starts Work, BMW Expands Human-Machine Collaboration
Figure AI recently announced that the new generation humanoid robot Figure 03 has entered operation in Building 52 of the BMW Spartanburg plant, which mainly handles assembly and in-plant logistics tasks.
Compared to the previous generation Figure 02, Figure 03's scope of tasks has further expanded, capable of completing multiple repetitive and high-intensity jobs such as material transportation, parts handling, and warehouse organization, transferring some physical labor from manual workers to robots.
JPMorgan analyst Jose Asumendi said that these robots are now actively involved in plant logistics and parts processing, allowing employees to focus more on higher value-added links such as precision assembly and quality control.
This robot deployment is also an important part of BMW's $1.7 billion investment plan in South Carolina. According to the plan, the plant will start local production of the all-electric iX5 by the end of 2026, and plans to mass-produce at least six all-electric models in the United States by 2030. As the electric vehicle product matrix continues to expand, humanoid robots are seen as an important tool to improve production line flexibility and alleviate labor pressure.
Commercialization Accelerates, Institutions Raise Global Humanoid Robot Forecasts
The rapid implementation in industrial scenarios has also driven institutions to further raise industry growth expectations.
Iris Zheng, head of Asia-Pacific Automation and Industrial Research at Deutsche Bank, said in her latest report that driven by Chinese manufacturers accelerating mass production and Tesla pushing forward large-scale production, the commercialization of the humanoid robot industry has significantly accelerated.
Zheng's team has therefore raised global shipment forecasts for the coming years, expecting global humanoid robot shipments to approach 50,000 units in 2026; further grow to about 700,000 units by 2030; and by 2050, the global cumulative annual shipment scale is expected to reach 70 million units, which is more optimistic than previous forecasts.
Automakers Accelerate Deployment, "Physical AI" Becomes a New Track
As the industry enters the early stage of commercialization, automakers are becoming important participants in the humanoid robot industry.
Bernstein analyst Eunice Lee pointed out that more and more automakers are choosing to develop humanoid robots independently rather than relying entirely on third-party suppliers, reflecting the increasingly strong synergy between the automotive industry chain and the robot industry chain.
Behind this trend, the two types of products share a large number of core technologies. Whether it is motors, reducers, sensors, batteries, or software algorithms and control systems, humanoid robots and electric vehicles have a high degree of technological overlap, allowing OEMs to quickly enter the robot field using existing supply chains and R&D capabilities.
Currently, the industry has formed two different development paths: one type of enterprise, represented by BMW, improves manufacturing efficiency first by introducing mature robot products and accelerating factory automation upgrades; the other type, represented by Tesla, insists on self-developing humanoid robots, hoping to build long-term technological advantages and explore broader commercial applications beyond manufacturing.
As technology continues to iterate, costs continue to decline, and business cases gradually increase, "Physical AI" is moving from the laboratory to the factory and becoming the new focus of intelligent manufacturing competition in the automotive industry.
