Experts with international networking
The Austrian automotive industry offers its international customers services in many fields, such as chassis construction, electrics and electronics, engines or services. At two sites in Austria, automotive clusters have been formed in which innovations for new products or production processes are inspired by easier collaboration between the companies. More than 900 Austrian firms in the automotive and supplier industry ensure the good reputation of the Austrian automotive sector.
For years, the CEE automotive industry has been experiencing a considerable upturn. Austria is situated in the heart of the region and is ideally integrated into the supply chains. The Austrian automotive industry is most closely networked with Germany. Almost half of all Austrian exports go to its northern neighbour. Furthermore, many German automotive corporations have production sites in Austria or close relationships with Austrian suppliers.
Innovative strength
Over the past 25 years, EUR 7.8 billion in investments have been made in the development of the Austrian vehicle industry. Every year, almost EUR 20,000 is spent here per workplace on research. New technologies and concepts can be quickly implemented through these initiatives. The focus here is on quality, safety and environmental awareness.
The Austrian automotive sector has global leaders in engine and four-wheel expertise and is specialised in engineering and prototype construction. Austrian companies develop and produce complex elements from four-wheel units to combustion engines to cylinders or specific components. And today Austrian companies are already helping to shape the future of global mobility, for instance by supplying particularly efficient rechargeable batteries for electric cars.
Sustainable mobility
The greatest changes in the automotive industry are to be expected particularly in the areas of the environment and energy. As the result of increasing environmental requirements worldwide and high costs for environmental pollution, Austrian automotive producers are putting their faith in emission-reducing and energy-efficient products. From a technical perspective, this is achieved through new drive systems and a more lightweight construction of the vehicles.
"Clean Mobility" is a particular strength of the Austrian automotive industry. In the areas "Eco Powertrains", "Eco Materials" and "Eco Design and Smart Production", resource-friendly solutions are being developed for all aspects of sustainability. Electric vehicles with a higher range and plug-in hybrid vehicles have the best chances of future market successes in the sector of "green automobiles". The engine manufacturers are carrying out research on electric and hybrid engines and investigating drive models for natural gas and liquid gas.
In resource-efficient and energy-saving lightweight construction Austria is among the European leaders, particularly due to its expertise across various materials. In a comparison of 50 European top regions in the lightweight construction area, Upper Austria ranks 19th, and in the area of metal composites 3rd. Whether it involves steel, lightweight metals, plastic, wood or composites: Austrian products are future-proof. In addition to technical universities that provide top services for the automotive sector, more than 50 non-university research facilities and/or institutions in Austria are cooperation partners for companies.
And with the topic of autonomous driving, high-tech from Austria is used for users all over the world. A Vienna-based company has developed a revolutionary scalable and secure control unit platform that can be used by vehicle manufacturers and suppliers worldwide. The platform combines a flexible architecture and safety modular system that can be easily adjusted to customer-specific requirements and makes an important contribution to sustainable and safe mobility for the future.
Further insights into the world of mobility and information about new and exciting developments from Austrian firms in the sector can be found in our industry magazine FRESH VIEW Mobility.