Bremen can look back on a long history as an automotive city. The first car plant in Bremen opened in 1906, and its first customer was none other than Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Bremen has been a centre of automotive production for almost as long as cars have been around. The Mercedes-Benz plant, the city's biggest private employer, makes up to 400,000 vehicles every year (as at 2020) and is the main global plant for the C-Class range.
Turnover for the vehicle construction sector (excluding shipbuilding) is stated at around 22 billion euros in the annual statistical report for 2018.
The car terminal in the port of Bremerhaven, the region's pioneering role in electromobility, and the outstanding research that is currently being done at the city's universities make Bremen an ideal location for investment in the automotive sector.
Bremen has established itself as a centre of excellence for the automotive industry and can report a number of success stories in this field. Its strong and efficient automotive network comprises more than 40 suppliers, while around 17,000 people work in the industry across the Bremen region.
Bremeninvest created the Bremen Hansalinie Industrial Estate as a centre for Bremen's automotive suppliers. Its direct links to the motorway and to the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen make it an optimum location for the vehicle manufacturing industry. Bremeninvest is also helping companies to apply for funding from the German government and the EU.
The Automotive Nordwest network brings together manufacturers, suppliers and organisations involved in research and training. It aims to raise the region's profile as a centre of excellence for the automotive industry and also to strengthen business relationships. The network's members benefit in particular from the sharing of information and knowledge at events, meetings, forums and workshops.
Automotive Nordwest works across the industry as a platform for communications and collaboration in the Bremen region.
At up to 5,000 degrees, a new smelter in Bremen produces alloys from high-strength titanium that are in demand worldwide. For the company behind it, this was a long-standing venture that is now paying off.
Learn moreClassic cars are collectors' pieces and investments. Anyone who wants one can call on the services of Michael Esin: his company, LPL Automotive, sources classic cars all over the world and brings them to his customers' preferred locations, via the Bremerhaven container terminal.
Learn moreHow will town planners and traffic management systems have to adapt when computer-controlled cars become part of the cityscape? These questions have been under investigation by the EU "ART Forum" project since March 2019.
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