Germany motor vehicles and transport equipment index
Germany motor vehicles and transport equipment index stood at 97 in Aug 2026, according to Deutsche Bundesbank. It is one of the indicators in the Industrial production, turnover and productivity table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Jan 1991 to Aug 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Industrial production, turnover and productivity table
| Indicator | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29+30 Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers, semi-trailers and of other transport equipment2 | 97 | 101.1 | 109.6 | 105.2 | 102.4 | 106.7 | 106 | 104.9 | 103.9 | 110 | |
| 29 Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers | 91.5 | 96.7 | 105.7 | 102.5 | 98.7 | 104.1 | 103.7 | 102.5 | 100.3 | 108.5 | |
| 30 Manufacture of other transport equipment | 139.4 | 135.5 | 139.9 | 125.9 | 131.2 | 126.7 | 123.6 | 123.5 | 131.9 | 121.5 |
Understanding germany motor vehicles and transport equipment index
Combining terrestrial automotive assembly with aerospace, maritime, and rail production yields this broad overview of all mobility manufacturing. This consolidated division sums the output of passenger cars, heavy commercial trucks, and their parts with the construction of ships, locomotives, bicycles, and aircraft. While it captures the totality of the transport industrial base, it merges multiple distinct operational models: mass-production automotive assembly lines and highly cyclical, project-based heavy transport engineering. The resulting index masks the individual behaviors of its underlying components, treating the continuous flow of consumer vehicle completions identically to the rare delivery of commercial airliners or naval vessels.
Analyzing month-to-month fluctuations in this combined measure is fraught with difficulty due to the extreme lumpiness inherent in non-automotive transport manufacturing. A single large shipyard delivery can distort the aggregated figure, making period-on-period assessments highly volatile even after standard seasonal adjustment. Consequently, researchers generally prefer smoothed rolling quarterly averages or year-on-year calculations to identify genuine underlying shifts in transport manufacturing capacity. Analysts must also account for coordinated summer factory shutdowns in the dominant passenger car segment, which strongly influence the unadjusted numbers. Early statistical releases are particularly susceptible to revision because valuing the work-in-progress of long-term aerospace or locomotive contracts often requires post-release calibration.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this measure separate passenger cars from aircraft production?
- No, this is an aggregated metric that combines standard terrestrial automotive assembly with aerospace, rail, and maritime engineering. The distinct production cycles of these sub-sectors are blended into a single figure.
- How are large, multi-year transport projects reflected in this index?
- The production value of long-lead items like ships or trains is typically estimated as work-in-progress across the construction period. Final deliveries can still cause notable statistical fluctuations in the specific month of completion.
- Why are month-on-month comparisons potentially misleading here?
- The erratic delivery schedules of heavy aerospace and maritime equipment can cause immense short-term volatility. Relying on moving averages or year-on-year comparisons provides a clearer view of underlying factory health.