Number of German car exports in 2017 and 2018, by region

Europe was Germany’s leading car export partner in 2018, having bought almost 2.46 million vehicles. In total, Germany exported around four million cars that year to markets around the world.

Volkswagen in the lead

The German automobile industry is an indispensable part of the country’s image on the international industrial stage. Cars are the most traded goods in the world, and Germany has already had the honor of being the top exporter in this area. Based on the number of vehicles produced, Volkswagen was in the lead for several years in a row, with over 11 million cars delivered to the market in 2018. Daimler and BMW followed, even if far behind, but still consistently in the top the top three.

Rising sales

The German car industry saw rising employee numbers in recent years, with the workforce amounting to almost 834 thousand people in 2018. That same year, total sales in the industry amounted to 426.2 billion euros, an increase on the year before.