IKEA has moved autonomous delivery vehicles developed by Neolix into permanent operation at its store in Hefei, Anhui Province, following a pilot program that significantly reduced order pickup times and logistics costs.
The project was conducted by Ingka Group, the largest franchisee of the IKEA retail brand, and represents one of the more advanced deployments of Level 4 autonomous logistics vehicles in a retail environment.
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During the trial, the autonomous vans transported customer orders from an external warehouse to the store’s pickup area and supported internal replenishment operations.
According to Ingka Group, the program reduced average customer self-pickup wait times from about six hours to two hours. Transportation costs between IKEA operational units were also cut by more than 50%.
The deployment uses the Neolix X6 autonomous delivery vehicle, which offers a cargo capacity of about six cubic meters and can carry more than one metric ton of goods.
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The vehicle operates at SAE Level 4 autonomy, meaning it can drive without a human operator inside the vehicle within designated environments. Remote monitoring is used to supervise operations and ensure safety.
Neolix said the X6 platform is designed to operate in a range of conditions including rain, fog and snow, and can navigate narrow roads and areas with heavy pedestrian or vehicle traffic.
During the pilot program, the vehicles accumulated nearly 75,600 kilometers of autonomous driving.
Based on the results, Ingka Group said it is evaluating opportunities to expand autonomous logistics solutions into other international markets where regulatory frameworks and infrastructure support such technology.
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In China, the company is also assessing the feasibility of autonomous last-mile delivery services that could transport goods directly to customers.
Neolix, headquartered in Beijing, develops Level 4 autonomous delivery vehicles for commercial logistics and has deployed its systems in more than 300 cities across 15 countries.
