The automotive industry and its suppliers
The quality and wide range of the automotive industry and academic institutions make the region a major player in the automotive industry.
The German capital is the only city in Germany where the three leading German automakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen – have all established locations. Important R&D activities and high-quality manufacturing exist side by side in Berlin, creating a unique concentration of know-how. Berlin offers attractive conditions not only for major companies, but for small and mid-sized companies as well.
At a glance
- Over 200 automotive companies in the region, including 80 manufacturing and supply operations and various engineering firms that employ around 30,000 people;
- Around 25 academic institutions in the automotive industry;
- Optimal networking of the regional automotive industry in various networks and centers of expertise;
- Subsidies and incentives for capital investments, employee training, and research and development projects;
- Outstanding pool of highly qualified technical specialists and management talent due to various degree programs in the automotive field;
- Quick access to the automobile manufacturers in Lower Saxony, Saxony, Poland and the Czech Republic thanks to Berlin's central location in the heart of Europe;
- Competence center for intelligent mobility and test field for networked and autonomous
driving - A consortium of various automotive companies offers expertise in the form of a center for clean energy drive technology.
Selected automotive industry companies
The range of companies is broad. Large Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW can be found there along with global players in the supplier industries such as Bosch, Brose, Continental, Gestamp Umformtechnik, Goodyear Dunlop, Knorr-Bremse, Mahle, Pierburg (Rheinmetall), Schaeffler, ZF and many powerful SMEs.
- The BMW plant in Berlin has repeatedly set records with sales of its motorcycles.
- Mercedes-Benz plant Berlin, produces, among other things, drive modules for the EQ model series and CAMTRONIC for advanced combustion engines. As a competence center for digitization („Mercedes-Benz Digital Factory Campus“), the plant in Marienfelde acts as a digital startup factory.
- CARIAD, Volkswagen Group, MBition and Mercedes-Benz Group develop and implement software for vehicles.
- In addition to its activities in fuel cell technology, the Pierburg plant in Berlin will also manufacture mechanical components for requirements outside the automotive industry.