Importance of the automotive industry in Bavaria

Bavaria's automotive, commercial vehicle and supplier industries are among the key industries in Bavaria and have been writing a unique success story for many decades. After the front-runner Baden-Württemberg with over 233,000 employees, Bavaria follows with just under 208,000 people - no other federal state has automotive employees in the six-digit range according to official statistics. In addition to premium manufacturers such as Audi, BMW and MAN, there are around 1,100 companies in Bavaria along the entire automotive value chain.  Among them are suppliers such as Bosch, Brose, Dräxlmaier Group, Rexroth, Schaeffler and Webasto. Together, they generate 32.24% of Bavarian industrial sales. The automotive industry with its large manufacturers, the many small and medium-sized suppliers, dealers and workshops thus undoubtedly forms the core structure of the Bavarian economy.

Excellence and competence

Namable research institutes and university research groups are located throughout Bavaria and are working on the question of what the future of mobility will look like. Examples of excellent Bavarian research include the Technical University of Munich, the Ingolstadt University of Technology ,the Fraunhofer Society with its institutes such as the IIS (for Integrated Circuits) and IGVC (for Foundry, Composites and Processing Technology), the iwb user center in Garching and Augsburg, and many others. In addition, research work on advanced future technologies by experts and students from universities, colleges and companies forms the basis for innovation in Bavaria: engineers, designers, software development and IT specialists work together on the solutions for the future.

Networks and partners

The strongly developed interdisciplinary networking between players from business, politics and research is another criterion for the success of the Bavarian automotive scene and helps to further advance Bavaria's innovative strength. For example, ThinkNet Bayern, which was set up by Bayern Innovativ, links experts and expert knowledge with modern innovation management methods. It connects business enterprises with research institutes and universities, relevant players in Bavarian research, technology and innovation policy, Bavarian clusters and networks and many other important institutions in the Free State of Bavaria. The Cluster Automotive , network for Bavarian automotive manufacturers and automotive suppliers, comprises around 500 Bavarian companies and institutes from the automotive sector and all areas relevant to the automobile. The aim of the cluster is to deepen the cooperation between companies and research institutes and to further increase the innovative strength and added value of the Bavarian economy. In the Themed Platform Networked Mobility , the Center for Digitalization.Bavaria ZD.B brings together different players on the topics of digitalization and mobility with the aim of bundling and expanding the multi-layered competencies in Bavaria. This is to be achieved, among other things, by creating exchange opportunities and promoting innovative research projects. Further networking opportunities in Bavaria are offered by the Digital Hub Mobility or regional networks,  such as the E-Mobility Cluster in Regensburg .

Setting the course for a successful future

Trends such as new mobility services, autonomous driving, digitization and electromobility are changing the way people are mobile worldwide - already today and even more so in the future. In addition, the vehicle continues to lose relevance in everyday life, as other forms of mobility come more into focus, especially in metropolitan areas. The transition to new technologies - e.g. the change from conventional drive to electric drive - is an additional challenge for companies, as you are forced to  implement parallel production structures, at least for a certain time. This is associated with enormous costs. Managing this transformation process of the automotive industry plays an important role for the future of Bavaria and Germany as an industrial location. Technological investments and innovations are necessary to maintain the global competitiveness of the Bavarian automotive industry and to secure locations and jobs. It is essential to support the industry in mastering the challenges in the course of the transformation process and steering it toward a digital and sustainable future. With the Automotive Future Forum, the Bavarian state government has launched a technology offensive with an investment volume of €2 billion to support the Bavarian economy in the current transformation process with the High-Tech Agenda Bavaria.

One focus is on the automotive industry and its current challenges. After all, the mobility of tomorrow should be multimodal, more environmentally and climate friendly, and highly digitized. With the agreed measures within the framework of the Automotive Forum of the Future, in addition to the major vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, small and medium-sized companies in particular will be supported in the development and manufacture of new products and with a clear perspective for investment decisions.

The massive economic impact and changed working conditions and requirements for the working environment during the pandemic have made it all the more clear that the transformation process is essential for the successful continuation of many companies. After all, Bavaria's vehicle sector is also expected to assume the role of the globally respected technology leader in the new mobility world, with notable production capacities in Germany.