Hirschvogel Automotive Group

What Hirschvogel Automotive Group does

Hirschvogel Automotive Group is a privately held, family-owned German manufacturer founded in 1946 and headquartered in Denklingen, Bavaria. It is one of the world's largest producers of hot-formed and further-processed steel and aluminum components for the automotive industry, operating nine production plants across Germany, Mexico, China, India, and Poland with a workforce of more than 6,200 employees. Its core competency is Massivumformung — the precision massive-metal forming of components using hot, warm, and cold forging — followed by integrated downstream machining (milling, grinding, gear cutting, induction hardening) and, in some cases, final assembly.

The company's product portfolio spans drivetrain (constant-velocity joints, intermediate shafts, differential gears), transmissions (shafts for EVs, passenger cars, and commercial vehicles up to 1,000 mm and 35 kg), chassis and body (steering knuckles, control arms, wheel hubs, suspension struts), fuel systems (diesel injector bodies produced at 25+ million units annually, high-pressure rails), combustion engine components (steel pistons, balancer shafts, camshafts), and electric motor components (rotor shafts, rotor carriers, input shafts, heat sinks). Newer offerings include forged battery module end plates for electric vehicles. The group also operates the AXIMO sub-brand for micromobility e-bike drive systems.

Hirschvogel generates revenue through B2B hardware sales under long-term supply contracts with automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers worldwide, with pricing determined through OEM negotiations and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct-to-OEM, supported by locally situated plants on three continents to serve regional manufacturing hubs. The company is privately held by the Hirschvogel family, with no external venture or private equity ownership, and does not publish financial results. In 2024 the group divested its loss-making Columbus, Ohio plant and installed Matthias Kratzsch as CEO; in 2025–2026 it is expanding aluminum production capacity in Mexico to fulfill a major OEM contract spanning Europe and North America.

Name

Hirschvogel Automotive Group

Legal name

Hirschvogel Holding GmbH

Website

https://hirschvogel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Hirschvogel Automotive Group is a family-owned German manufacturer of precision hot-formed steel and aluminum components, supplying drivetrain, chassis, transmission, fuel-system, and EV motor and battery parts to global automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers from nine plants across three continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Forged Components Manufacturing

NAICS

Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing (3363), Motor Vehicle Gasoline Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing (33631), Motor Vehicle Steering and Suspension Components (except Spring) Manufacturing (33633)

SIC

Engines & Turbines (3510)

akta.pro primary industry

Passenger Vehicle Transmission & Drivetrain Systems Manufacturing (ICE) (IMACAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Engine Components & Subsystems Manufacturing (Blocks/Heads/Valvetrain/Pistons) (IMACAHAB), Passenger Vehicle Engine Systems Manufacturing (ICE) (IMACAAAF), Steering Systems & Components (Columns/Racks/EPS Pumps & Motors) (IMACAIAB)

Keywords

• Forged steel components
• Automotive component manufacturing
• Aluminum forged parts
• Drivetrain component supplier
• Precision metal forming

Headquarters

HQ city

Denklingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Automotive Component Sales: B2B sales of forged and machined steel and aluminum components to automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. Revenue is generated through long-term supply contracts for drivetrain, chassis, engine, and electric motor components.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hirschvogel Automotive Group is one of the world's largest manufacturers of hot-formed and further-processed steel and aluminum components for the automotive industry. The company supplies forged and machined drivetrain, chassis, engine, fuel system, and electric motor components to global automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. Operations span nine plants across three continents, with capabilities spanning forging, heat treatment, machining, and final assembly of safety-critical components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AXIMO: Product and system supplier for micromobility at the Hirschvogel Group, specializing in e-bike drive systems

Products and services

• Drivetrain components
• Transmission shafts
• Chassis and body components
• Fuel system components
• Engine components
• Electric motor components
• Battery module end plates
• AXIMO e-bike drive systems

Quantifiable outcome

• 25+ million diesel injector bodies produced annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FIT (Biketec GmbH)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2024AXIMO, the micromobility brand of Hirschvogel Group, partnered with FIT (Swiss brand from Biketec GmbH) for system integration of e-bike drive systems. Both companies exhibited jointly at Eurobike 2024 in Frankfurt.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Wanxiang Group (Wanxiang Qianchao): China-headquartered, one of the largest Chinese automotive component conglomerates with forging and drivetrain capabilities; comparable product mix but primarily serves Chinese OEMs and the domestic market.

Broad incumbents

• KSPG (Kolbenschmidt Pierburg): Rheinmetall division producing engine components (pistons, cylinder heads, valve trains) and air-management parts, directly overlapping Hirschvogel's engine-component portfolio.
• Schaeffler Group: German automotive and industrial supplier with significant forged drivetrain and transmission components, plus E-Mobility product lines; comparable Tier-1 supply relationships, broader product portfolio.
• Thyssenkrupp (Forged Technologies / Automotive Components): German industrial group with a large forged automotive components division producing crankshafts, steering, and drivetrain parts. Closely comparable in heritage, customer base, and product mix, though part of a much larger diversified group.

Direct peers

• Bharat Forge: India-headquartered, publicly listed global leader in forged automotive and industrial components with comparable steel and aluminum forging capabilities, multi-continent manufacturing footprint, and OEM/Tier-1 supply model across drivetrain, chassis, and engine components.
• American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM): US Tier 1 supplier of driveline, powertrain, and forged metal-formatted components for ICE and electrified vehicles, with comparable North American exposure and OEM supply model.
• Gestamp Automoción: Spanish-listed automotive supplier specializing in metal-formed chassis, body-in-white, and drivetrain components using hot and cold forming, with global plant footprint serving European, North American, and Asian OEMs.
• Martinrea International: Canadian Tier 1 supplier of lightweight metal-formed and machined components for chassis, powertrain, and EV programs, with comparable global footprint and direct OEM supply relationships.
• Linamar Corporation: Canadian Tier 1/2 supplier with forged and precision-machined powertrain, driveline, and chassis components for global OEMs, similar component breadth and direct OEM supply model.
• Le Bélier: French specialist in aluminum and iron casting and forging for automotive chassis, powertrain, and EV components; comparable European heritage and lightweighting focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOMMYuJbDcnqv11o7Z-Ve5w
• Facebookfacebook.com/HirschvogelAutomotiveGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hirschvogel-automotive-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hirschvogel Automotive Group