The automotive industry, and in particular the development and production of automotive components, has a long tradition in Luxembourg. Globally operating component suppliers such as Goodyear, IEE, Carlex, BorgWarner, Webasto, ArcelorMittal and Cebi International are testimony to the usefulness of having European sales and R&D headquarters in Luxembourg. Over the years, the industry has undergone profound changes dictated by the speed of innovation and time-to-market, cost pressure and post-crisis recovery.
The well-known tier 1 suppliers are only one part of the mobility ecosystem. The interactive automobility ecosystem mapping produced by Luxinnovation with data from December 2021 provides a comprehensive overview of the sector includes some 700 road mobility companies. It does not take into account other modes of transport (rail, air or water), nor logistic companies.
Structurally, the sector is mainly composed of small companies with less than 50 employees. These companies are well established with an average of 16 years of activity here. 58% of mobility companies have automotive and mobility as their main activity, and 27% as a secondary activity. The remaining 15% – 101 companies – are identified as service providers enabling the emergence of more sustainable and smart mobility. The automotive sector is changing profoundly, and these local change catalyst firms can support its transformation.
Of the 700 companies, 47 are start-ups, more than half of which are disruptive in their approach. These solution developers for the mobility of tomorrow frequently work in the fields of data analysis and artificial intelligence.