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Munich. With the new BMW 3 Series Sedan, the BMW Group is systematically extending its holistic approach to sustainability to the fully-electric variant and combustion-engine model. From the supply chain and production, through to the use phase and recycling, key levers have been optimised with the aim of reducing the CO₂e footprint throughout the vehicle lifecycle. The Bavarian production cluster plays an important role in this: Plants Dingolfing, Landshut, Irlbach-Straßkirchen and Munich bring together core expertise, reduce transport distances and efficiently integrate specialised production steps.

Focus on supply chain decarbonisation

The supply chain is a key lever for reducing CO₂e emissions. In this area, the BMW Group relies, in particular, on renewable energy and higher secondary material content, as well as product and process innovations. The measures are systematically applied to all drive train variants of the new BMW 3 Series. Already during the product development phase, supply chain CO₂e emissions were reduced by around 37 percent for the BMW i3 and by around 30 percent[1] for the variant with an internal combustion engine. A particular focus is on battery cells and the use of aluminium.
The Gen6 battery cells for the BMW i3 rely on secondary materials for a portion of their cobalt, lithium and nickel. The BMW Group also uses renewable energy in the production of anode and cathode materials, as well as in cell manufacturing. In comparison with the Gen5 cell in the BMW i4, the CO₂e footprint per watt-hour was reduced by approx. 33 percent.

Systematic use of secondary materials

Measures implemented in the supply chain and at the company’s own facilities enable a high secondary material content in the new BMW 3 Series – also for heavy-duty components. These include aluminium suspension components such as wheel rims, swivel bearings and wheel supports, which rely on electricity from renewable sources for both electrolysis and production. Secondary material is also used for the car body: The bonnet is made of approximately 70 percent recycled aluminium. In the battery-electric BMW i3 50 xDrive, around 31 percent of the total vehicle consists of secondary materials; in the BMW 3 Series with internal combustion engine, the share is around 25 percent[1].

BMW Group sites combine sustainability with specialisation

The Dingolfing, Landshut, Irlbach-Straßkirchen and Munich facilities pool core expertise within the Bavarian production cluster. Short transport distances and closely integrated processes unlock potential for reducing CO₂e emissions.

“The cluster approach to BMW production is directly linked to the concept of sustainability: Short distances and close proximity are key characteristics of a cluster, creating direct economic, environmental and social sustainability benefits through regional networking and concentration. A regional production cluster, like at BMW, creates added value for the economy, people, the environment and, of course, the region,” explains Prof Dr Rudolf Juchelka, Chair of Economic Geography, especially Transport and Logistics at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

Landshut: Light metal and components expertise

BMW Group Plant Landshut is the company’s largest component plant worldwide and a centre of in-house manufacturing expertise. The light metal foundry produces parts for electric drive trains, as well as engine components such as crankcases and cylinder heads. For the new BMW 3 Series, the facility is also manufacturing the e-drive housing for the rear axle of the fully-electric variant, alongside crankcases and cylinder heads for the combustion-engine model. The corresponding drive trains are produced at BMW Group Plant Steyr in Austria, which has been a source of drive train expertise within the production network for over 40 years.

The Landshut site combines long-standing aluminium and foundry know-how with specific sustainability measures, such as using aluminium from recycling loops and material produced in part with electricity from renewable sources. In-house component manufacturing strengthens material expertise, conserves resources and supports close integration of production processes.

Irlbach-Straßkirchen: “Local for local” high-voltage batteries

Construction of the new assembly site for sixth-generation high-voltage batteries at Plant Irlbach-Straßkirchen got underway in spring 2024. In line with the “local for local” principle, the plant will supply high-voltage batteries for the BMW i3 from October 2026. This strengthens regional structures, reduces transport distances and helps secure jobs. At the same time, close cooperation between the German pilot plants and series production facilities worldwide supports the global production network. Key components for the BMW i3 will be manufactured close to vehicle production and transported to Munich on electric trucks.

The plant requires no fossil fuels for regular operations. A photovoltaic system generates a share of the electricity required directly on site. All additional energy needed is supplied entirely from renewable sources. The process is designed so that no water is required for assembling the high-voltage batteries. In this way, the site is combining the industrialisation of electromobility with lower emissions and resource-efficient production.

Munich: Transformation towards the BMW iFACTORY

BMW Group Plant Munich produces vehicles for the Neue Klasse, following the principles of the BMW iFACTORY, with a focus on efficiency, digitalisation and sustainability. The site obtains all the external power it requires from renewable sources. The plant is also committed to responsible use of resources – for example, through the material loop in the press shop: Steel and aluminium scrap generated while punching body parts is collected and separated by material type, recycled and subsequently used to manufacture new coils.

Dingolfing: Renewable energy and process heat

BMW Group Plant Dingolfing combines efficient production processes with close integration with the surrounding component sites. All purchased electricity comes from renewable sources, with a portion generated directly on site. Since late 2025, a photovoltaic system on the plant's roof, with a capacity of just under 11 megawatt peak, has supplied electricity for the site.

A new biomass heating plant west of the vehicle plant also provides up to 100,000 megawatt hours of locally-produced heat from renewable energy sources. In this way, the facility can meet about half of its process heat requirements.

Efficiency during use phase

With its EfficientDynamics technology package, the BMW Group optimises vehicle efficiency across all relevant subsystems. This includes aerodynamics, lightweight construction, low rolling resistance tyres and overall energy management. EfficientDynamics has been used by the BMW Group across all drive technologies since 2007. The new fully-electric BMW i3 also features the “Heart of Joy”, with the fully in-house developed BMW Dynamic Performance Control Driving Stack. The system enables effortless and confident drivability, with highly controlled deceleration to a standstill. At the same time, it enhances efficiency: During deceleration, more energy is recovered through recuperation – in significantly more driving situations, right down to a standstill. Gen6 drive technology components are also systematically optimised for efficiency.

Using so-called SiC technology in the electric drive units, it was possible to reduce energy losses by up to 40 percent.

Transparency through TÜV-verified Product Carbon Footprint

The BMW Group will publish the Product Carbon Footprint for the BMW 3 Series, validated by the German Technical Inspection Association (TÜV), to coincide with the series launch. The report, including the underlying calculation methodology and methods, will be publicly available. In this way, the BMW Group creates transparency around the raw materials used and CO₂e emissions throughout the vehicle’s entire lifecycle.

The Product Carbon Footprint for individual components and materials is calculated in accordance with the Catena-X rules. The data ecosystem enables standardised data exchange, with traceability of emissions data throughout the value chain – from the extraction of raw materials to the end product.

If you have any questions, please contact:

BMW Group Corporate Communications

Dr. Cornelia Bovensiepen, Head of Product Sustainability Communications

Spokesperson, Product Sustainability

Telephone: +49 151 601-94935

Email: Cornelia.Bovensiepen@bmw.de

Thomas Niedermeier, Spokesperson, BMW Group Plant Dingolfing and Irlbach-Straßkirchen

Telephone: +49 151 602-27666

Email: Thomas.Niedermeier@bmwgroup.com

Media website: https://newsroom.bmwgroup.com/global/en

Email: presse@bmwgroup.com

The BMW Group

With its four brands, BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial services. The BMW Group production network comprises over 30 production sites worldwide; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2025, the BMW Group sold 2.46 million passenger vehicles and more than 202,500 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2025 was € 10.2 billion on revenues amounting to € 133.5 billion. As of 31 December 2025, the BMW Group had a workforce of 154,540 employees.

The economic success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. Sustainability is a key element of the BMW Group’s corporate strategy and covers all products – from the supply chain through production to the end of their useful life. 

www.bmwgroup.com

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/bmw-group/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/bmwgroup

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmwgroup

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bmwgroup

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Landshut. The BMW Group is expanding its expertise in the field of physical AI, with BMW Group Plant Landshut taking on central software development tasks for AI-supported robotics in component production. The focus is on open software platforms, the generation, provision and processing of training data, simulation and motion planning, as well as the training of robotic systems. These activities complement the pilot projects already underway exploring the use of humanoid robotics at Plants Leipzig and Spartanburg.

Landshut is leveraging its role as a centre of expertise for in-house component production. The wide range of products and manufacturing processes provides ideal conditions for developing and evaluating new approaches using AI-supported robotics under real-world production conditions. At the heart of these activities is the question of which tasks will be suited to humanoid robotic systems in the future – particularly where flexibility, fine motor skills and an understanding of the working environment are required. For this purpose, Plant Landshut is developing software that enables robots to perceive their environment, evaluate situations and derive appropriate actions independently.

“At BMW Group Plant Landshut, we are combining software expertise with industrial practice in our component production. This allows us to test new technologies at an early stage and carefully evaluate their benefits for production,” says Dr Wolfgang Bluemlhuber, head of Driving Dynamics and In-house Component Manufacturing.

Technological foundations for AI-supported robotic systems
The starting point is further development of the software architecture. At its Landshut facility, the BMW Group relies on open platforms that enable the flexible and scalable training of robots by combining traditional (deterministic) programming with modern AI models (Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models), integrating visual information, language comprehension and robot actions. The goal is a modular robotics ecosystem in which diverse systems work together. This creates a technical basis for new functionality and a wide variety of industrial applications.

This requires reliable data. At Plant Landshut, the project team captures data from real production environments and test setups, and integrates it into robot simulations, in which movement patterns and motion planning are modelled virtually. This enables processes to be tested in advance and learning processes to be accelerated. New approaches are initially trialled outside of ongoing production, implemented in pilot projects and then scaled up in stages.

In parallel, humanoid robotic systems acquire new skill sets through demonstration-based learning. In this process, movement patterns and work sequences are first demonstrated by the project team. The data generated in this way is collected by camera systems, motion capture suits and data gloves. It is then converted into generalisable behavioural models – known as policies – that can be applied to different tasks and use cases.

“For us, it is crucial to develop the technology in very close alignment with real-world requirements. We are not just testing what is technically possible, but also where humanoid robotics can truly deliver reliable benefits in component production. This gradually creates a clear picture of which applications are suitable for industrial use,” says Christoph Jagoda, the Physical AI project manager at BMW Group Plant Landshut. 

Potential uses in component production
On this basis, Plant Landshut is working on applications for humanoid robotics in component production. The focus is on tasks requiring a high degree of flexibility, fine-motor skills and a good understanding of objects and working environments. This includes recognising and interpreting environments, determining position and status, planning efficient movements, and precisely gripping and moving components.

To refine the basic technology, the BMW Group is working closely at its Landshut site with partners from industry and academia. This includes, in particular, direct cooperation with Athenyx Robotics, a startup founded specifically for this field of technology that originated at the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) at RWTH Aachen University and is located in close proximity to BMW Group Plant Landshut.

The tech company is developing AI-based software for intelligent robotic systems in conjunction with BMW Group specialists. The primary focus is on creating a so-called “intelligence stack” that integrates perception, learning, simulation and decision-making. The aim is to enable humanoid robots to perform complex tasks in industrial environments independently. This requires the systems to be able to perceive their environment, evaluate situations and derive appropriate actions accordingly. The platform-based approach means that acquired skills can be transferred across different robotic systems and use cases in the future.

In addition, Plant Landshut is collaborating with specialists the University of Applied Sciences Landshut – for example, on data generation, simulation and the development and testing of specific use cases.

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Munich. With more than 30 years of experience, the BMW Group is a pioneer in the field of additive manufacturing, better known as 3D printing. 3D printers have been used from as early as 1991 to produce individual vehicle parts and components, initially for concept cars, prototypes and race cars, then later for production models. The BMW Group now also manufactures many work aids and tools for its own production system in various 3D printing processes. From tailor-made orthoses for employees, and teaching and production aids, to large, weight-optimised robot grippers, used for such things as CFRP roofs and entire floor assemblies. At the “Additive Manufacturing Campus” in Oberschleißheim, the BMW Group’s central hub for production, research and training in 3D printing, more than 300,000 parts were “printed” in 2023. Furthermore, over 100,000 printed parts were produced per year across all the plants that form the global production network, from Spartanburg and the German plants to sites in Asia.

“The increasing use of additive manufacturing in the BMW Group production system has many benefits. For example, we are able to quickly, economically, flexibly and sustainably produce our own production aids and handling robots, which we can individually adapt to specific requirements at any time, as well as being able to optimise their weight. Less weight allows higher speeds on the production line, shorter cycle times and reduced costs. Plus, smaller robots can be used in the medium term, which also cuts CO₂ emissions and costs,” says Jens Ertel, Head of BMW Additive Manufacturing.

“As well as the direct additive manufacturing procedure, the BMW Group has also been using sand-based 3D printing to create moulds for many years at its site in Landshut. This technology is typically used to manufacture prototype casts, as well as for the large-scale production of components for high-performance motors. Another very attractive field of application is now that of large production aids,” says Klaus Sammer, Head of Product and Process Planning for Light Metal Casting.

Printed moulds for aluminium cylinder heads in large-scale production

Additive manufacturing processes have been used on a daily basis for a long time at BMW Group Plant Landshut. For many years, these have included moulds for the manufacturing of aluminium cylinder heads, which are printed three-dimensionally using the sand casting process. Here, sand is repeatedly applied in thin layers and stuck together using binders. This makes it possible to create moulds for the manufacturing of very complex structures, which are then filled with liquefied aluminium.

Using 3D printing to manufacture large robot grippers for CFRP roofs

For a number of years, the BMW Group’s Lightweight Construction and Technology Centre in Landshut has been using a particularly large gripper element, which was made using the 3D printing process. Weighing around 120 kilograms, the gripper for a robot can be manufactured in just 22 hours and is then used on a press in the production of all CFRP roofs for BMW M GmbH models. The press is first loaded with the CFRP raw material. The gripper is simply rotated 180 degrees to remove the finished roofs. Compared to conventional grippers, the version manufactured using 3D printing was roughly 20 percent lighter, which in turn extended the operating life of the robots and also reduced wear and tear on the system, as well as cutting maintenance intervals. The combined use for two steps also reduced the cycle time. A unique feature of the robot gripper is the ideal combination of two different 3D printing processes. While the vacuum grippers and the clamps for the needle gripper to lift the CFRP raw material are made using selective laser sintering (SLS), the large roof shell and bearing structure are manufactured using large scale printing (LSP). LSP can be used to produce large components economically and sustainably. The process uses injection moulding granules and recycled plastics, while CFRP residual material can also be used and recycled. Compared to the use of primary raw materials, CO₂ emissions when manufacturing the gripper are roughly 60 percent lower.

Further weight savings, courtesy of new generation of bionic grippers

In the summer of 2023, a new, even lighter generation of gripper was introduced. To achieve this, the previous gripper concept was analysed and optimised topologically – the birth of the bionic robot gripper. This combines the roof shell from the LSP printer with SLS vacuums and a bionically optimised bearing structure. For this, a mould with printed cores is used in the sand casting. This mould is then cast with the intricate aluminium structure. The new gripper is a further 25 percent lighter than its predecessor, meaning the entire process of manufacturing a CFRP roof of the BMW M3 can be performed with just one robot, rather than three as was previously the case. Nowadays, double grippers manufactured individually within the BMW Group, courtesy of 3D printing, are used for all CFRP roofs at BMW Group Plant Landshut.

New 3D-printed gripper also used in chassis construction

The BMW Group also employs grippers produced using the 3D printing process in chassis construction – for example, grippers printed with the LSP process for dealing with doors at BMW Group Plant Regensburg. “With an optimised bearing structure produced using 3D printing, we were able to increase the rigidity of the gripper when handling door elements at the plant in Regensburg, while at the same time reducing weight. In subsequent projects, it is then possible to use robots with a low bearing capacity, which helps to cut costs,” says Florian Riebel, Head of Door and Flap Production in Regensburg.

However, the company is now taking it one step further at BMW Group Plant Munich. As of recently, the first examples of a bionic robot gripper have been used at the parent plant. This gripper can hold and move the entire floor assembly of a BMW i4. For the floor assembly gripper, 3D printing is used to create a sand casting mould, which is filled with liquid aluminium. The bearer is optimised in terms of weight and maximum load capacity, and weighs with all additional add-on elements a mere 110 kilograms. That makes it roughly 30 percent lighter than the previous, conventional model. Manufacturing using sand casting and aluminium makes it possible to represent intricate load-optimised structures. This results in maximum weight reduction and thus makes it possible in the medium term to use smaller and lighter heavy-duty lifting robots, which require less energy and thus reduce CO₂ emissions. Markus Lehmann, Head of Plant Engineering and Robotics at BMW Group Plant Munich: “At the Munich plant, we are continuously expanding the use of production aids created through additive manufacturing. When it comes to the field of gripper and handling systems, we use 3D printing to equip our established grippers with individual, printed attachments and are already replacing complete gripper systems with highly-integrated and weight-optimised bearing structures. When handling the full BMW i4 floor assembly, this allowed us to reduce the weight of the complete gripper by 30 percent – 50 kg – and thus to extend the service life of our facilities.”

Use of innovative software solutions in additive manufacturing

Intricate and bionic structures are designed and calculated using special generic software tools, such as Synera. BMW iVentures had strategically invested in this software, previously known as Elise. Synera allows fast and efficient optimisation and is now used in many development areas within the BMW Group. It is particularly worth using the software in 3D printing, as topologically optimised, bionic structures can virtually be printed one to one, thanks to the high degree of flexibility of the 3D printing process. This makes it possible to exploit the full potential for lightweight construction. The BMW Group’s Additive Manufacturing Campus is home to a team of design and construction specialists, who compare a diverse range of software solutions and use them to design components. The knowledge is then passed on throughout the company via the Additive Manufacturing Campus. In the case of gripper design, special workflows have been developed and implemented, which allow the calculation and construction of the bearing structure to be largely automated, and thus fast and efficient.