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50% of the automotive vehicles made in Europe are produced within a 600-km radius around Hauts-de-France.
The sheer scale of the Euro-Region’s auto industry gives carmakers easy access to a wide range of subcontractors and related services. Hauts-de-France is home to over 200 tier 1, 2 & 3 equipment manufacturers and the full range of automotive production—shock absorbers, windshields, tires, alternators, clutches, finished auto body parts and more. The bottom line? Profitable purchasing supply chains for carmakers.
Over 56,000 employees in the business ecosystem including
Hauts-de-France is home to 7 plants producing a variety of vehicles
~ %
of the automotive vehicles made in Europe (700,000 vehicles in 2017)*
~ %
of passenger cars made in France by Renault
~ %
of Toyota’s European output
%
of engines manufactured in France (over 600,000 per year)
*By comparison, all of Italy accounts for only 3.3% of European production, and Belgium only 2.5%
Published on 15.05.2023 
Reading time: 4 min
XTC-Orano: one project, 4 activities around cathodes in Hauts-de-France
Published on 12.05.2023
Reading time: 3 min
ProLogium Technology: a 4th gigafactory in Hauts-de-France
Published on 27.03.2023
Reading time: 5 min
The Canadian company Li-Cycle to open a lithium-ion battery recycling site in the Hauts-de-France region
Published on 30.01.2023
Reading time: 6 min
🚌 Dutch company VDL Bus&Coach has chosen Lille to set up its French headquarters
Published on 03.02.2022
Reading time: 5 min
Verkor choose Dunkirk to set-up its battery gigafactory
Published on 10.01.2022
Reading time: 2 min
Renault ElectriCity, the new leading site for industrial EV in the Hauts-de-France
Céline
Hugo
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Find out more about the automotive sector in Hauts-de-France. You’ll find all the useful insights into the sector: key figures, major players, regional initiatives, outlook for the sector, etc.
Dutch company VDL Bus&Coach has chosen Lille to set up its French headquarters
ProLogium is setting up its solid state battery factory in Hauts-de-France
The automotive industry has a long history in Hauts-de-France. Workers contribute valuable know-how to their companies and are deeply committed to their production units. The region is home to a qualified workforce and a labor pool of 50,000 workers with immediate availability.
To hold onto our lead, the Hauts-de-France region trains some the finest automotive engineers in France. Our centers of excellence offer training at every level, making it easy for automakers and OEMs to recruit qualified employees.
Did you know? Since 2016, under sectoral bargaining agreements, the hourly cost of labor has been lower in France (€38.3) than in Germany (€38.8). (Source: the French statistics institute INSEE, 2018)
Average work week in the automotive industry in 2018
Productivity: GDP per hour worked in 2018
ARIA – the Regional association for the auto industry – was created in 1996. It promotes and bring together the automotive sector in Hauts-de-France, by contibuting to the development of the competitiveness of companies through targeted actions and working on the corporate image of the sector in the Region in order to reinforce its attractiveness.
It has now more than 240 members (automakers, OEM’s, suppliers, players in research and training).
Transalley is a technology cluster with global ambitions, dedicated to innovative companies, R&D and players in sustainable, innovative mobility. You will find resources for training, research and innovation in a single complex, with close ties to Polytechnic University of Hauts-de-France (UPHF).
The Transalley complex includes:
44703 m²
Industrial / Logistics buildings – Allonne
Beauvais / Allonne
T1 2024 
2333 to 25723 m²
General Electric – brownfield
Saint-Quentin
Immediately 
2935 m²
Industrial Building – Raillencourt-Sainte-Olle
Raillencourt-Sainte-Olle
2024 
500 to 10000 m²
Industrial site Enterprise village
Denain
Immediately 
25000 to 100000 m²
New logistics site or heavy industry
Denain
2023 
ELSAT is a science cluster serving the auto industry in Hauts-de-France. As the regional coordinator for automotive research, ELSAT provides a forum where industry players and scientists can join forces to meet the challenges of sustainable transport and mobility.
Fast facts:
ELSAT’s automotive research programs include:
The Technical Center for Mechanical Industry (CETIM) was founded in 1965 at the urging of mechanical engineering specialists in the region. Its mission is to provide companies with the resources and skills they need to:
UTAC CERAM is a private-sector technology center that provides technical expertise to government and industry. It serves clients in four complementary areas:
i-Trans is a competitiveness cluster for transport, mobility, and logistics—a powerful resource in the Hauts-de-France region, with services that help businesses and laboratories develop, structure and fund new research and development capabilities. i-Trans supports and certifies collaborative R&D projects for the auto industry and other sectors.
CRITT M2A is a research center for automotive engines and acoustics, founded by auto industry players seeking an independent center with high-tech research and testing equipment. To meet the needs of automakers, equipment manufacturers and academics, it was designed and built around four strategic areas:
CREPIM certifies and approves the fire safety performance of materials and assemblies. As one of Europe’s leading laboratories in the field, it offers benefits for any business that cares about fire safety. When you work with CREPIM, you have access to the resources you need to ensure that your materials meet European fire safety requirements for any field.
To meet the business community’s needs for development and testing, CREPIM focuses on four key areas:
Université Gustave Eiffel is a leading player in European research on transport technologies, accounting for some 25% of French research on cities and transport. Its Lille campus, located in the city’s Villeneuve d’Ascq suburb, has two laboratories dedicated to:
The FRTTM (Fédération de Recherche Transports Terrestres & Mobilité) is a research federation supported by the CNRS, the Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France, the Université de Lille and the Centrale Lille Institut. It is the result of excellence collaborative research carried out by the LAMIH, CRIStAL, IEMN, LMFL and LaMCUBE laboratories.
Its aim is to develop multidisciplinary synergies, pool resources and staff, and respond jointly to regional, national and European calls for projects.
The federation is working on 5 strategic areas of research:
