In the bodyshop the pressed parts are brought together to create the basic body of a BMW, also known as the bodyshell. The front end and rear end, the floor plate and the roof are welded to form the body frame, to which add-ons such as the doors, bonnet, sidewalls and tailgate are then attached. Depending on the type of car, up to 550 body parts can assembled at this point.

The bodyshop uses a number of different technologies, from spot, laser and gas-shielded welding to soldering, sticking, bolting and flanging. Most operations are carried out by robots. These approx. 1,500 systems are highly flexible, allowing different body variants to be processed on the same production line.

Thanks to end-to-end automation in the various work stages, quality remains consistently high. After certain production stages, the body parts are measured using laser sensors. Findings are then compared with target figures to ensure they do not deviate from specifications. In addition, the finish team inspect the surfaces of each body to ensure suitable quality.

A car’s first impression depends very much on the colour and gloss of its surfaces. But paintwork is more than just visuals: it’s functional too. As well as enhancing the look of the body, it protects it from corrosion and environmental influences. The finish also makes the paint more resistant to stone chips and scratching.

In the paintshop all vehicle variants are processed on one and the same line. First, the bodies are cleaned for optimum paint application. Next a filler coat – a type of primer – is applied. Then comes the topcoat in the customer’s desired colour, chosen from a range of more than 200 options. Finally the car is varnished with a clear coat to refine the surface.

Plant Regensburg was the first automotive plant in the world to introduce automated surface processing, with four robots processing the freshly painted bodies on the basis of AI. The AI allows them to rework exactly the spots that need it. These irregularities in the topcoat are identified and logged by automated inspection and then reworked by the robots.

In assembly the painted body is finally turned into a finished BMW that meets customer specifications. The assembly line is about 5.5 kilometres long and processes all models, irrespective which type of drive train. The employees fit a multitude of components to the cars by hand to build customers’ wishes from around the world. Large or heavy parts are mounted with the help of handling equipment and robots.

Assembly consists of three key stages: body assembly, final assembly and finish. In body assembly the add-ons and customer-defined trim and equipment are attached to the painted body. In final assembly the process of car production culminates in what’s called the marriage, where the drive train (engine, chassis and axles) is fitted to the body and bolted into place in an automated process.

After that the vehicles move on to the testing and finish area, where they run a final predefined test cycle to ensure all their various functions work. The aim is to hand over a perfect car to each and every customer.

In production, all the components and individual parts of the customers' cars specification must be provided at the right time, at the right place and in the right sequence. The logistics operate by driverless, automated transport systems. These are interconnected via a cloud-based traffic management system, and some of them are loaded and unloaded automatically too.