MINI Countryman Is Now Driving Autonomously During Production & The Cooper is Next

DimON · November 26

The process of producing a MINI Countryman just got a lot more futuristic. Starting this week, new MINI Countryman models will drive fully autonomously through the production process. This innovation significantly boosts production efficiency, with MINI planning to roll out this technology at the Oxford Plant in 2025, making J01 and J05 production more feasible.

Picture this: a brand-new Countryman drives itself from the assembly hall, through the “short test course,” and into the finishing area at the Leipzig Plant. This is now a reality for most new MINI Countryman models (as well as BMW X1 and X2 vehicles) moving forward.

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This breakthrough is enabled by sensors installed along the production route, creating the largest LIDAR infrastructure in Europe. The system relies on an externally generated environment model and an external movement planner, making automated driving possible regardless of the vehicle’s equipment options. The plant’s system controls these movements using a cutting-edge cloud architecture. A key player in this innovation is the Swiss company Embotech AG, which the BMW Group partnered with early on through its venture client unit, the BMW START-UP Garage.

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“Automated Driving In-Plant optimizes our production process and delivers significant efficiency gains for our logistics. That is why we will be swiftly rolling out this technology throughout our production network.”
Milan Nedeljkovi?
Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Production

The Leipzig Plant plans to introduce automated driving for around 90% of the BMW and MINI models built there, with Oxford set to follow in 2025. This added efficiency will play a critical role in enabling the production of the new J01 MINI Cooper and J05 MINI Aceman EVs alongside the rest of the ICE MINI Cooper range.

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Looking ahead, the BMW Group aims to expand its Automated Driving In-Plant technology to other areas of production, including driving vehicles through testing zones and outdoor distribution areas. Production and development experts are collaborating to refine the technology in-house, with increasing use of on-board vehicle systems to eventually complement and support external sensors.