Mobility and Automotive

$52.2 Million Mobility Grant awarded to DRP's Signature Program Initiative GEM by the Economic Development Administration (EDA) for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge in 2020

The Detroit Region is home to a vast community of cost-effective talent. Local companies benefit from one of the highest concentration of engineering talent in the U.S. as well as the most commercial and industrial designers in the country.

• 224,088 Assembler & Production Workers, 2023
• 90,048 Engineers, 2023
• 87,000 Tech Workers, 2023

Click to explore mobility & automotive related occupation groups in the Region:

The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA is one of the densest and largest engineering hubs in the United States.

The Detroit Metro is the #2 for Engineering Per Capita. With an employment concentration of 2.3 (LQ) in 2023.

The Detroit Metro has 79,650 Engineers. Making it the #3 Largest Metro for Engineering Talent in 2023.

Data Source: Lightcast, Location Quotient (LQ) measures concentration, 1 is the U.S. average

Companies locating in the Detroit Region can quickly tap into the extensive higher education pipeline to meet their talent needs.

Click links below to explore Mobility & Automotive related higher education programs in the Region:

Wayne State University

•  MS Electric-Drive Vehicle Engineering 

•  Electric-Drive Vehicle Engineering Certificate 

In 2010, Wayne State University became the first to launch a comprehensive electric-drive vehicle engineering curriculum, offering a master's, bachelor's, and associate's degrees in robust EV focused automotive engineering technology. The mobility program has tracks in AV, Sensing, Smart Grid, and Robotics.

Michigan Technological University

•  HEV Graduate Certificate 

• MS with emphasis in HEV engineering

Michigan Tech’s HEV engineering program is one of the first of its kind in the nation that, includes undergraduate and graduate courses. Courses are available on the road in the Michigan Tech Mobile Lab, being able to take hands on HEV education to communities across Michigan.

Electric Vehicle production in the U.S. is centered in the Midwest, and Michigan ranks Top Location for EV Supply Chain Plants in 2022.

#1 State for EV & Battery Investment, with $28 Billion Investments Announced, 2018-2023

More than 1,200 Charging Stations in The Detroit Region. An 89% increase in stations between 2018-2022

Plan to Build 10,000 More Charging Stations to support 2 million EV's on Michigan Roads, by 2030

The  Office of Future Mobility & Electrification  (OFME), was created in 2020 to develop dynamic mobility and electrification policies and support the startup and scale-up of emerging technologies and businesses.

Data Sources: Michigan is Automobility Report, MICHauto; National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics; U.S. Bureau of the Census; the Center for Automotive Research

#1 State for EV and Battery Investment, with $28 Billion Invested between 2018-2023

40 EV Battery Supply Chain related companies across Michigan. Michigan is a Leader for battery capacity

Michigan is the #1 State for Auto Production with 1.7 million vehicles and 16 models produced in 2023.

17% of all U.S. automotive production takes place in Michigan.

The Detroit Region produces more vehicles annually than the whole country of Canada.

Data Source: Automotive News

Michigan is the #1 state for connected vehicle infrastucture with U.S. DOT-Funded Operational Deployments & more than 6,000 ITS devices deployed by the Michigan Department of Transportation.

#1 state for testing and deployment projects with 16 operational USDOT-funded projects

1 of 5 USPTO in the Nation is located in Detroit

50% of the top OEMS & suppliers are working on autonomy, connectivity & EV in the Detroit Region.

Data Source: Michigan is Automobility Report, MICHauto

Detroit is a Top location for Venture Capital and Mobility Start Up Support.

$1.2 Billion in Venture Capital Investment, with more than $5.4 Billion under management in Michigan, 2022.

#1 for Global Emerging Startup ecosystem, 2022

#1 for Venture Capital Investment Growth, 855% growth from 2016-2021

Data Source: Startup Genome's 2022 Report, Crunchbase, Michigan is Automobility Report, MICHauto

The Detroit Region has always been the location for the automotive and mobility industry. As the automotive world has morphed with manufacturing to technology, the Detroit Region has been the global leader in heading the next gen. of mobility with robust testing infrastructure and offerings

Michigan and the Detroit Region out of the benchmark location ranks #1 for most related testing sites.

The Detroit Region's hub of 11 testing and proving sites are leading the nation for where innovators are developing the next generation of automotive and mobility technologies.

Use the map to the right or click below to explore some recent mobility and automotive investments in the Detroit Region. Click on the map markers for more information.

The  Detroit Regional Partnership  offers confidential, no-cost assistance to domestic and international companies interested in investing in the 11-county Detroit Region. We specialize in helping companies understand and access the competitive advantage of our region - from workforce data to state and local incentives.

DRP Services:

• Single Point of Contact
• Regional Data
• Connections to Key Partners
• Incentives and Talent Assistance
• Building and Site Analysis

Michigan and the Detroit Region provide a highly-competitive business case for any investment project. Michigan is recognized by many sources as a "top state".

#8 Top State for Business, CNBC Ranking for Business Friendliness, 2024.

#12 Top State for Business Tax Climate, Tax Foundation Climate Ranking, 2023.

#5 Low Top Marginal Tax Rate Lowest Rate at 4.25% (CA is 13.3% &NY is 10.3%)

#7 Lowest UI TAX Liability, Unemployment Insurance (UI) Tax Component.

• 6% Corporate Income Tax
• 6% Flat Sales Tax
• 4.25% Personal Income Tax