The automotive industry in NRW
North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the key centers of the German automotive industry. A broad spectrum of automotive enterprises operate in NRW – from internationally active corporations operating in conventional vehicle construction through a predominantly medium-sized supplier industry to innovative topics in the field of electromobility to automated and connected driving. These SMEs in particular are in a position to respond flexibly to changing market requirements and initiate new technical developments for cross-industry applications.
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Promoting new technology
The innovative strength of the automotive sector in NRW benefits from the close collaboration between industry and applied research establishments. The South Westphalian Automotive Center, for example, provides a platform for R&D activities, engineering services and knowledge transfer between automotive manufacturers, suppliers and university institutes. NRW has significant potential in the area of electromobility – thanks also to the three centers of competence in Aachen, Dortmund and Münster. Together with 80 technology partners, scientists at RWTH Aachen University have developed the innovative electrically powered "Street Scooter" with a range of 130 kilometers and a top speed of 120 kilometers per hour. Deutsche Post DHL has assumed responsibility for this project and is deploying around 8,000 "Street Scooters" for its day-to-day parcel and mail delivery operations.
Automotive enterprises in NRW
Category: Automotive
Region: Suedwestfalen
Nowadays, headlights are more than just lamps, even more so if they happen to made in Lippstadt in Westphalia, home to the internationally successful family-run company HELLA, which develops innovations and solutions for the automotive industry. The company has many firsts to its credit: camera-based automatic headlight range control, mass-produced full-LED headlights, or Xenon headlights with anti-glare beams. The bend lighting developed by HELLA is a further shining example of the company's inventive skills. Founded in 1899 in the heart of the automotive manufacturing region of South Westphalia, HELLA continues to this day to lead the market in electronic accelerators and is the world's number one in radar sensors for lane change assistant systems. Furthermore, it has the world's largest dealership network of automobile parts, accessories, diagnostic services and services. Taken together, this places HELLA among the world’s top 50 automotive suppliers and top 100 German industrial concerns.
The excellent infrastructure, the central location and the high qualifications of the people make North Rhine-Westphalia an economic power of international standing. In terms of numerous economic statistics, NRW is world class.
