Austria's Auto Industry

The automotive sector in Austria is comprised of 705 companies employing a total of 175,260 workers. Of their total combined revenuesof € 38.7 billion, around half come from the manufacture and sale of automotive related products. Annual production output of the automotive industry is about 7 - 8 billion Euro and accounts for approx. 10 % of Austria's total industrial output. In 2000, the annual production reached 160,000 units (cars, estate cars, trucks, and special vehicles); and achieved about 200,000 units in 2004. The automotive industry As one of Austria’s most critical industrial sectors, the automotive industry annually rolling out 2.1 million engines and powertrains, 115,000 cars, 45,000 motorcycles,25,000 trucks, 18,000 trailers and 8,500 tractors.

Top global automotive manufacturers and suppliers, led by BMW,DaimlerChrysler, GM/Fiat, Saab, Magna and MAN, are continually directing new investment and development projects to Austria. Recent investment decisions include expansion of engine production (BMW, Opel), the relocation of vehicle development and production (BMW X3, Saab Cabriolet) and even the establishment of new global headquarters (Magna).

Three vehicle manufacturers currently have significant assembly operations in Austria: Daimler-Chrysler, BMW, and Saab. Of the 118,650 cars produced here in 2003, 113,922 were exported, leaving 4,728 units in the domestic market. Of the total 300,121 new vehicle registrations in Austria, this is a mere 1.57%. For a breakdown of the vehicles assembled here, please see the chart:

Market Size Nearly 100% of the passenger vehicles registered in Austria are imported, over 50% from Germany. 

Though local auto assembly has grown significantly over the past 10 years, Austria still imports nearly all of its passenger vehicles. Germany has the largest slice of the pie with over 134,000 new registrations and 45% of the market. Following a distant second is France with 18% and Japan with 12% of new registrations. The U.S.-origin cars depicted in this chart make up less than 1% of all new registrations and are primarily Chryslers (1,107 units), Mercedes (646 units), and Chevrolets (184 units).

Moreover, the Austrian automotive supply sector has achieved global leadership in a number of areas, in particular in the development and production of direct fuel-injected diesel engines. Development and manufacturing of engines and transmissions account for around 40 percent of the direct suppliers production.