Hand-built by robots: ‘Dark factories’ could be building cars without humans as soon as 2030

The global automotive industry is approaching one of its most profound transformations since the introduction of the moving assembly line more than a century ago, with analysts predicting that the first fully automated, human-free car factory is fast approaching.

Known as a “dark factory” or “lights-out manufacturing”, such a facility would build vehicles entirely by robots, allowing production to run continuously.

“This represents more than operational efficiency; it marks an inflection point where artificial intelligence, humanoid robotics and digital manufacturing converge,” said Gartner vice president of research Pedro Pacheco, who expects a US or Chinese manufacturer to achieve full automation “toward the end of this decade”.