Top 300 Automotive Suppliers Germany - List of the Largest Automotive Companies

List of the Largest Automotive Suppliers in Germany - Easy to Download as an Excel File

The German automotive industry has an annual turnover of more than 400 billion euros. However, it is hardly possible to gain an overview of the various automotive suppliers that play a decisive role in the industry. This has been changed with the  extensive list of the top 300 automotive suppliers in Germany. Various relevant information on the listed major suppliers has been compiled. Among other things, the list can be sorted and filtered according to turnover so that annual growth rates can also be calculated. The database also provides information on the areas of activity and the number of employees. Access to the list of industries is unlimited and you can edit and process the file according to your needs. It has never been easier to obtain a complete market overview of German automotive suppliers and to generate leads in the automotive industry.

This information is included in the List of the Largest German Automotive Suppliers

• Company name
• General contact details: Address, e-mail address, telephone number, URL, names of the executives
• Turnover in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015 and number of employees
• Field of activity (for the first segmentation by industry)

Note: The financial figures of some companies are included in the consolidated balance sheet of the parent company. In these cases, the name of the parent company is disclosed and the Group’s sales and employee numbers are shown.

The Automotive Supplier Industry in Germany: Global Players, Hidden Champions and Medium-Sized Companies

The list of the largest German automotive suppliers offers an insight into one of the most important German industries. The automotive industry accounts for a large part of the gross domestic product in Germany and provides jobs for several million people. The landscape of German automotive companies is very broad and diverse. Among the most important automotive suppliers are a number of globally operating groups that not only supply the automotive industry but are also active in other segments. In addition, the list naturally also includes the largest German pure automotive suppliers, which have risen to become true global players over the past decades. Furthermore, the database contains many so-called hidden champions, who are among the absolute world market leaders in their field. Often these are medium-sized companies that have specialized in certain components and supply almost all automobile manufacturers with their products. Many of these medium-sized companies are still in family hands and are closely linked to their region.

Without efficient domestic automotive suppliers, Germany’s automotive industry would never have been able to achieve its position on the world market. Conversely, the success story of the supply industry would be unthinkable without the spread of German cars throughout the world. Both developed hand in hand. In Germany alone, 486,000 people were employed in the automotive industry in 2018, compared to 311,000 in the supply industry. The largest automotive suppliers in Germany also hold a leading position in the world. Some of them have grown from simple workshops and handcraft enterprises and have developed into internationally operating corporations.

Here the supplier provides an insight into the list and presents the 10 largest automotive suppliers in Germany in detail.

#1: Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart: Turnover of €77.9 Billion (2019), €47 Billion of which are Generated by Mobility Solutions

Robert Bosch founded a backyard workshop for precision mechanics and electrical engineering in Stuttgart in 1886. Over time, these modest beginnings developed into the largest automotive supplier in Germany and the world. Robert Bosch GmbH is more than a supplier - it is a conglomerate that also produces industrial technology, household appliances and power tools, and energy and building technology. The group employs more than 400,000 associates in 60 countries worldwide, and in Germany nearly 140,000 associates at 85 locations. As an automotive supplier, Bosch stands for a wide range of products for automotive electrics and electronics. Among other things, it supplies components for electric drives, injection technology, control technology and exhaust technology for conventional engines, as well as brakes, ABS systems, driver assistance systems and, more recently, solutions for networked mobility.

#2: Continental AG, Hanover: Turnover of €44.5 Billion (2019)

The tire manufacturer Continental AG is the second largest automotive supplier in Germany and worldwide. Rubber has been the company’s business model since its beginnings in 1871, initially made of natural rubber and later of industrially produced rubber. Tires for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles are still the mainstay of the business. The second mainstay is the Automotive Technologies division with solutions for autonomous driving, driving safety and networked driving. The largest shareholder with a 46 percent stake has been Schaeffler Holding since 2009. Continental AG and Schaeffler AG form sister companies in a corporate group. Continental has 241,000 employees worldwide and is represented at more than 540 locations in 60 countries.

#3: ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Friedrichshafen: Turnover of €36.5 Billion (2019)

In 1915, when ZF Friedrichshafen AG was founded, a gear factory and the airship Zeppelin GmbH were godfathers. Vehicle transmissions were to form the business purpose and this is how it has remained until today. The company is a global leader in driveline and chassis technology and is one of the TOP 10 automotive suppliers in the world. Almost 150,000 employees and 230 locations in 40 countries stand for the company’s worldwide presence, yet the company has remained closely linked to its headquarters. The Zeppelin Foundation, under the sponsorship of the city of Friedrichshafen, is the principal owner. Transmissions, chassis modules, axle drives, and driveline modules as well as damping technology for passenger cars and commercial vehicles are the core business of ZF Friedrichshafen.

#4: Schaeffler AG, Herzogenaurach: Turnover of  €14.4 Billion (2019)

Schaeffler AG is the core company of the Schaeffler Group, which is owned by the family of the same name. Schaeffler manufactures parts for the automotive, mechanical engineering and aerospace industries under the INA, FAG and LuK brands. The brands FAG (ball bearings in continuation of the activities of the formerly independent company FAG Kugelfischer) and LuK (plate and clutch components) are of particular importance within the automotive supply industry. Schaeffler employs approximately 92,000 people and is represented in over 50 countries with more than 170 locations. Schaeffler Holding is the largest shareholder of Continental AG. The Schaeffler Group and Continental are “sister companies”.

#5: HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA, Lippstadt: Turnover of €7.0 Billion (2018/2019)

The company name HELLA is almost a description of the product range. The HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA has focused entirely on vehicle lights and lighting. This has made HELLA one of the largest German automotive suppliers and one of the TOP 100 worldwide. Headlamps, lights and interior lighting for vehicles of all kinds continue to form the core business. In expanding this business model, HELLA also produces camera-based driver assistance systems and develops electronic systems to increase efficiency, driving safety and driving comfort. HELLA is also one of Europe’s largest dealers in motor vehicle parts, accessories and services. The company employs almost 39,000 people at over 125 locations in more than 35 countries.

#6: Brose Fahrzeugteile SE & Co. KG, Coburg: Turnover of €6.2 Billion (2019)

The history of Brose Fahrzeugteile SE & Co. KG began in 1908 with a dealership for car accessories in Berlin. Since 1919, supplier parts for the automotive industry have been produced in Coburg. Today, Brose produces mechatronic systems and components for vehicle doors, seats and bodies. One example is electric drives for window regulators, sunroofs and seatbelt tensioners. For a long time, Brose restricted itself to the German market only, the first foreign production was only opened in 1988, and since the turn of the millennium, a consistent internationalization strategy has been pursued. Today, Brose employs around 26,000 people. The company has 63 locations in 23 countries.

#7: Fritz Dräxlmaier GmbH & Co. KG, Vilsbiburg: Turnover of €4.9 Billion (2019)

The Fritz Dräxlmaier GmbH & Co. KG was founded in the 1950s in the midst of the economic miracle and has developed from a medium-sized company into a global player. Dräxlmaier specializes in supplying premium vehicles from various manufacturers and produces electrical and electronic parts, storage systems, interior equipment and vehicle electrical systems. Focusing on an exclusive market segment has made the company successful. Customers include Bugatti, Cadillac, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Maserati and Porsche. The Dräxlmaier Group employs about 75,000 people and is present at 60 locations in more than 20 countries.

#8: LEONI AG; Nuremberg: Turnover of €4.8 Billion (2019)

Lionian goods are goods made of wire and wire constructions. For almost 500 years Nuremberg has been a centre of the Leonian industry in Germany. Nuremberg-based LEONI AG can trace its origins back to the 16th century. Today, LEONI is a leading manufacturer of wires, cables and wiring systems used in the automotive industry. The Company is accordingly organised in two divisions: Wire & Cable Solutions and Wiring Systems. In addition to the automotive industry, LEONI also supplies other industries and the healthcare sector with cable solutions. LEONI operates worldwide and employs about 95,000 people in 32 countries.

#9: Eberspächer GmbH & Co. KG, Esslingen am Neckar: Turnover of €4.6 Billion (2019)

Exhaust technology, heating and air-conditioning systems for vehicles form the business model of the Eberspächer Group in Esslingen. Eberspächer was founded in 1865 as a craft business for roof glazing. In 1932/33 the company started manufacturing vehicle heaters and silencers. At times Eberspächer also offered solutions in other areas. Today, Eberspächer operates exclusively as a supplier to the automotive industry and its customers include practically all renowned manufacturers in the world. In addition to heaters and air-conditioning systems for passenger cars, corresponding products for buses are also manufactured. The group has about 10,000 employees and is represented at about 80 locations in 29 countries worldwide.

#10: Rheinmetall Automotive AG, Neckarsulm: Turnover of €2.7 Billion (2019)

Rheinmetall Automotive AG stands for the automotive supply division of the Rheinmetall Group, which is otherwise heavily involved in military equipment. Automotive supplies account for over 40 percent of Rheinmetall’s sales, with group sales in 2019 amounting to €6.3 billion. The Automotive subsidiary was created in 1999 from the merger of the formerly independent companies Pierburg GmbH Neuss and KS Kolbenschmidt GmbH Neckarsulm. Pistons for gasoline and diesel engines in passenger cars and commercial vehicles form a focal point of production. In addition, Rheinmetall Automotive supplies coolant pumps, exhaust gas recirculation and secondary air systems for the automotive industry. The company is divided into three divisions: Hardparts (essentially the piston business), Mechatronics (including modules for emission control) and Aftermarket (spare parts business). Rheinmetall Automotive has around 11,000 employees.