ACPS Automotive GmbH

What ACPS Automotive GmbH does

ACPS Automotive GmbH, founded in 1955 and headquartered in Ingersheim near Stuttgart, Germany, designs and manufactures towbar and trailer hitch systems for passenger cars, SUVs, and light commercial vehicles. The company's product portfolio spans fixed, detachable, semi-electric, and fully electric rotating towbars, supported by more than 140 patents worldwide and brands including ORIS (aftermarket) and FIX4BIKE (bicycle carriers). Production capacity exceeds 2 million towbar units annually across 11 manufacturing and development sites in Germany, Hungary, Mexico, the USA, and China, with a wholly-owned subsidiary structure covering all major regions.

The business operates two complementary revenue streams. The primary stream is Tier-1 OEM supply of custom-engineered towbar systems directly to major international automobile manufacturers integrated into vehicle production lines, sold on multi-year contracts via enterprise field sales. The second stream is the ORIS aftermarket brand, which distributes retrofit towbars, bicycle racks, and accessories (including the ORIS_E3 fully electric rotating towbar and the FIX4BIKE carrier) through independent dealers, workshops, and parts distributors across Europe and North America, supplemented by a TowSmart reseller partnership for the US aftermarket. Pricing is B2B and quote-based across both channels, with no public price disclosure.

The company became a privately held subsidiary of Zhejiang Meili Technology Co., Ltd. in April 2026, following earlier ownership transitions from the Bosal Group to Towerbrook in 2018. ACPS reported approximately €440 million in 2024 revenue with around 2,200 employees worldwide. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales to OEMs combined with a multi-country channel distribution model for the aftermarket, and it is positioning for expansion in China via the Meili relationship and the newly opened Kunshan plant and Shanghai sales and development office.

Name

ACPS Automotive GmbH

Legal name

ACPS Automotive GmbH

Website

https://acps-automotive.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ACPS Automotive GmbH is a German Tier-1 supplier of towbar and trailer hitch systems for passenger cars, SUVs, and light commercial vehicles, supplying major global OEMs and operating the ORIS aftermarket brand from 11 manufacturing and sales facilities worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Towbar Systems

NAICS

Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing (33621)

SIC

Wholesale-Motor Vehicle Supplies & New Parts (5013)

akta.pro primary industry

Truck Body & Upfit Manufacturing (Box/Dump/Service/Refuse) (IMACAGAC)

Keywords

• Automotive towbar systems
• Trailer hitch manufacturing
• OEM tier-1 supplier
• Aftermarket towing accessories
• Bicycle carrier systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Ingersheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Original Equipment (OE) Supply to Automobile Manufacturers: ACPS Automotive supplies trailer hitch systems directly to major international automobile manufacturers as a Tier-1 supplier for new vehicle production lines. This is the primary revenue stream, serving European, North American, and Asian OEM customers.
2. ORIS Aftermarket Products: The ORIS brand serves the independent aftermarket (IAM), selling towbars, bicycle racks, and accessories through dealers, workshops, and distributors across Europe and North America. Revenue comes from parts distributors, independent repair shops, and end consumers requiring retrofit trailer hitches.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ACPS Automotive GmbH manufactures and supplies trailer hitch and towbar systems for passenger cars, SUVs, and light commercial vehicles, including fixed, detachable, semi-electric rotating, and fully electric rotating configurations. The company operates as a Tier-1 supplier to major international OEMs (such as Tesla, Ford, Cadillac, Toyota, and Volvo) for original equipment installation, and also serves the independent aftermarket through its ORIS brand.

Product overview

ACPS Automotive GmbH is a market and technology leader in towbars/hitches for cars, SUVs, and light commercial vehicles. The company operates as an OEM supplier (Tier-1) to major automobile manufacturers and serves the aftermarket through its ORIS brand. The product portfolio consists of fixed, detachable, and rotating (manual, semi-electric, and fully-electric) towbar systems, with separate product lines for European and US markets. The company holds more than 140 patents worldwide and has annual production capacity exceeding 2 million towbars across its global manufacturing sites. Recent innovation includes the ORIS_E3, the first fully electric rotating towbar for the aftermarket, as well as the FIX4BIKE bicycle carrier system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ORIS: The ORIS brand represents the company's aftermarket and consumer product line for towbars, trailer hitches, and bicycle carriers for cars, SUVs, and vans, available for retrofitting through workshops and dealers.

Products and services

• Towbar Systems for Europe Towbar systems designed for the European market, including fixed, detachable, and rotating variants for passenger cars, SUVs, and vans. Produced as Tier-1 OEM supply and aftermarket retrofit products.
• Hitch Systems for the US Market Hitch systems designed for the North American market, including disappearing hitches and standard hitches for cars, SUVs, and light trucks. Supplied to OEMs and aftermarket customers.
• ORIS_E3 Fully Electric Rotating Towbar The first fully electric rotating towbar specifically developed for the independent aftermarket, enabling simple, convenient connection and disconnection of trailers, carriers, and bicycle racks via electronic actuation and bringing OE technology to workshops and parts dealers.
• ORIS DM-III Disappearing Hitch Disappearing hitch system for the North American aftermarket, compatible with Tesla, Ford, Cadillac, Toyota, and Volvo vehicles, designed to retract when not in use for cleaner vehicle appearance.
• ORIS AK41 Towbar Aftermarket towbar product for the North American market, compatible with select vehicle models, distributed via the TowSmart partnership.
• FIX4BIKE Bicycle Carrier System A specially developed system for carrying bicycles on vehicles using towbar-mounted carriers, representing a pioneering solution in the trailer hitch accessory space, sold under the FIX4BIKE brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2 million towbar hitches produced annually across all manufacturing sites
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TowSmartcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with US brand TowSmart for distribution of ORIS aftermarket products in the North American aftermarket. First products distributed include ORIS DM-III disappearing hitch and ORIS AK41, with additional models under development based on market demand.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bosal: Belgian Tier-1 automotive supplier and the original owner of ACPS Automotive before selling to Towerbrook in 2018. Bosal remains a direct competitor in towbars and broader vehicle components (exhaust systems, catalytic converters) with global manufacturing and OEM relationships overlapping ACPS's customer base.
• Westfalia-Automotive: Germany-based premium towbar manufacturer with strong European OEM and aftermarket presence, historically recognized as a technology and brand leader in the towbar segment. Directly competes with ACPS/ORIS in European passenger car, SUV, and van hitches, sharing many of the same OEM customers.
• Brink Group (Thule Group): Dutch towbar manufacturer acquired by Thule Group. Brink specializes in detachable and fixed towbars for passenger vehicles with strong European OEM and aftermarket distribution, making it one of the closest product-line comparables to ACPS Automotive.
• CURT Manufacturing: US-based leading aftermarket trailer hitch and towing products manufacturer. CURT is the dominant North American aftermarket player directly comparable to ACPS's ORIS brand in product range (hitches, ball mounts, wiring), channel structure (aftermarket distributors), and customer base.
• Cequent (Draw-Tite, Reese, Hidden Hitch): North American trailer hitch brands (Draw-Tite, Reese, Hidden Hitch) historically part of Cequent/Horizon Global. These brands compete directly with ACPS's ORIS brand for North American aftermarket share with broad vehicle fitment coverage and established distributor relationships.
• Witter Towbars: UK-based towbar manufacturer and aftermarket distributor, comparable to ACPS in product range (detachable, fixed, and electric towbars for passenger vehicles) and operating a similar dual OEM/aftermarket strategy across the British and Irish markets.
• B&W Trailer Hitches: US-based manufacturer of premium tow hitches and accessories (Turnoverball, Companion hitch lines), comparable to ACPS in product positioning but serving the heavy-duty North American pickup and trailer market that overlaps with ACPS's US expansion.

Regional players

• Hayman Reese: Australia's leading towbar and towing accessory brand, comparable to ORIS in product breadth (towbars, weight distribution, accessories) and aftermarket channel structure, but serving primarily the Australian and New Zealand markets rather than competing with ACPS in Europe or North America.

Broad incumbents

• Thule Group: Swedish listed company and parent of Brink Group, offering a broad portfolio of roof racks, bike racks, and towbars. While Thule's core business is roof-mounted accessories, its ownership of Brink makes it a broad incumbent peer in the European towbar and aftermarket carrier space.
• Horizon Global Corporation: US-based broader towing and trailering products company that owned Draw-Tite, Reese, and other aftermarket brands (acquired by Puretec/Tow Guide). Comparable to ACPS as a large portfolio player in towbars and trailering accessories across both retail and OEM channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about ACPS Automotive GmbH