The Detroit Region has long stood at the forefront of the automotive and mobility industry. The level of innovation needed to put – and keep – the world on wheels takes talent and know-how. It also requires a broad network of manufacturers and suppliers that support a complex supply chain.
Given the automotive and mobility industry footprint in Michigan, it’s no accident that the Detroit Region remains one of the most innovative places on the planet and the global epicenter of mobility.
These seven facts show why Detroit continues to lead the way in mobility.
90,000 engineers are leading the industry forward here.
Engineers are synonymous with innovation. The Detroit Region ranks #1 in the nation for engineering talent density, with two-times more talent than the U.S. average.
96 of the 100 top automotive suppliers call Michigan home.
We pack in more automotive leaders than anywhere else in North America. 25 original equipment manufacturers (OEM) are located in Michigan. We also have 96 of the top 100 automotive suppliers, 60 of whom have their North American Headquarters in Michigan.
Michigan leads the nation for total testing and validation sites.
These sites are at the forefront of mobility capabilities testing, and majority of them are in the Detroit Region. There are also more than 2,200 mobility and automotive suppliers or related technology center or facilities locations in Michigan. That’s where much of the innovation happens.
Our automotive R & D spending outpaces the rest of the country combined.
The majority of the nation’s automotive R&D investment is going into Michigan—that’s $16.9 billion invested annually.
We are the #1 state for EV and battery investments over the past five years.
Investment attracts more investment. Michigan is the #1 state for EV and battery related investments, with more than $36 billion investments announced from OEM and Suppliers, from 2020-2024. Most of this investment is in the Detroit Region.
Clean technology expansion and innovation happens in the Detroit Region.
Electrification requires high powered batteries, and lots of them. Michigan is a leader for battery capacity, capturing 15% of the nation’s total investment. We’re also leading the charge on clean tech innovation– Detroit’s newly renovated Michigan Central houses Newlab, which hosts numerous clean tech and mobility startups and attracted more than 100 startups in the first 14 months of its operation.
Mobility and automotive companies find success when they locate in the global epicenter of mobility.
Slate Auto, a regional startup, is developing affordable EV pickup trucks and has grown from 18 employees to more than 400 in three years.
“We looked at Southeast Michigan for our HQ because there’s lot of great talent in the automotive industry here. Our supply base is here. For us to have the ability to work closely with our supply base — be it an earlier prototyping phase, our production suppliers, throughout the whole life cycle — being close to that talent pool is really important.” – Chris Barman, Slate Automotive CEO
Want to learn more?
For more automotive and mobility facts, see the Detroit Regional Partnership’s Automotive and Mobility Cluster Map and visit the Global Epicenter of Mobility website.
