MARKET ANALYSIS AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS GERMANY: TOP 100 RANKING 2025
The 2025 ranking: In our market analysis Automotive Suppliers Germany 2025 by MEYER INDUSTRY RESEARCH, we systematically examine the leading 100 automotive suppliers in Germany.
Facts about the company and industry: The market analysis "Automotive Suppliers Germany 2025" collected the current sales trends of the top 100 suppliers headquartered and manufactured in Germany, the development of the companies' profits, and the distribution by product group manufactured. The Munich-based market analysts also analyzed the regional distribution of the industry in Germany.
Sales and employment (still) on the rise, profitability unclear: The total sales of the German TOP 100 automotive suppliers will amount to €279 billion in 2023. Compared to the crisis year of 2020, the sales of the top 100 players have thus increased significantly again in recent years. The average sales of the TOP 100 are growing at a CAGR of 6.9%, from €2,600 million in 2019 to €3,400 million in 2023. This development also confirms the trend toward further consolidation among automotive suppliers. However, a significant portion of the sales increase is likely also due to inflation and the associated price increases, along with higher material prices. The number of employees at the major automotive suppliers examined has increased significantly since 2019, with an average growth rate of approximately 4.5% per year. However, given the large-scale job cuts recently announced by many major players, this trend is likely to come to a halt starting in 2024, and at the latest when they are implemented in 2025. Profitability trends vary considerably; some companies have recently become significantly more profitable. At the same time, there are also numerous loss-making suppliers in the middle to lower ranks of the ranking.
Global Players and Hidden Champions: While the well-known industry giants such as Bosch, ZF, Continental, and Schaeffler naturally top the rankings by revenue, the analysis also reveals that the German supplier landscape is dominated by many "hidden champions," i.e., companies relatively unknown to the public. Among them is a high proportion of traditional family-run businesses.
MATTHIAS MEYER, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MEYER INDUSTRY RESEARCH, ON THE MARKET STUDY
"Global rankings of the automotive supplier industry have existed for years. However, in our market analysis projects, we see that the German automotive supplier industry, in particular, is considered one of the world's leaders. Against this backdrop, we wanted to take a closer look at the powerful German companies behind it for the first time in 2018 and compiled a ranking of the top 100 German suppliers. Since then, we have regularly monitored this supplier industry, which is so important for Germany, and its 100 most important representatives, analyzing how these companies are managing the industry's transformation."
DIVERSIFICATION INTO NEW SECTORS AMONG THE TOP 100 AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS NOT (YET) CLEARLY VISIBLE
Automotive remains the core business area: Among companies that generate a large portion (76% to 99%) or all of their revenue in the automotive sector, there have been isolated diversification efforts in recent years: By 2023, 70% of the top 10 companies will generate more than 75% of their revenue in the automotive segment, compared to 74% in 2020. A clear trend toward a more diversified customer landscape is therefore not yet evident in the currently available figures.
Electronics and e-mobility components lead the way: Over time, it can be seen that more and more TOP 100 suppliers are supplying OEMs with electronics. This is also the most important product segment in 2023, followed by e-mobility and engine/ drivetrain. In addition to electronics, the importance of the e-mobility, C-parts, and chassis product segments is also increasing. The number of exterior suppliers among the TOP 100 has steadily decreased.
REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION: BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG, BAVARIA AND NRW AS TOP LOCATIONS
The South and West Lead: According to the study, the headquarters of the 100 largest German automotive suppliers are concentrated in the South and West of Germany. More than three-quarters of the suppliers have their headquarters in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and North Rhine-Westphalia. These federal states are therefore the most affected by the industry crisis affecting Germany's most important automotive suppliers.
Christian Scherer, Automotive Analyst at MEYER INDUSTRY RESEARCH and co-author of the study, comments: "We clearly see a concentration of leading automotive suppliers in the south and west of the country. At the same time, it must be taken into account that the company's German headquarters were evaluated in each case. If the automotive suppliers' production sites were included in the analysis, regions in eastern Germany would also be significantly more important."
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MEYER INDUSTRY RESEARCH specializes in the creation and implementation of market analyses automotive, mechanical engineering, medical technology, energy technology , and electronics sectors, we develop fact-based and reliable decision-making bases with our professional market analyses.
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