The most efficient automakers: profit per employee

Profit per employee of the world's largest automakers, from the latest fiscal year and in euros. Compiled by Philipp Raasch, almost 10 years at Mercedes-Benz, independent automotive industry analyst.

As offiscal years 2025/2026
SourceAnnual reports, ECB rates
Coverage44 manufacturers · 24 suppliers

Last checked Sep 14, 2026

Ferrari leads with 367,248 €/employee, ahead of Kia (160,431 €/employee) and Maruti Suzuki (89,568 €/employee).

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Bars relative to No. 1 · €/employee

Automakers by profit per employee

#CompanySizeCountry€ / employeeFY
1FerrariItaly367,2482025
2KiaSouth Korea160,4312025
3Maruti SuzukiIndia89,5682026
4General MotorsUnited States68,5502025
5SubaruJapan60,8622025
6Suzuki MotorJapan53,7102026
7Hyundai MotorSouth Korea49,4692025
8BMWGermany45,7682025
9ToyotaJapan44,2922026
10Mercedes-Benz GroupGermany43,3412025
11Seres GroupChina42,5382025
12Hyundai Motor IndiaIndia33,1032026
13IsuzuJapan32,8462025
14TeslaUnited States27,9182025
15FordUnited States27,8862025
16RenaultFrance24,1962025
17Chery AutomobileChina22,5852025
18MazdaJapan21,6172025
19GeelyChina20,6782025
20Mitsubishi MotorsJapan14,7612026
21Porsche AGGermany10,3682025
22VolkswagenGermany9,6802025
23Great Wall MotorChina9,5642025
24KG MobilitySouth Korea8,7112025
25Changan AutoChina5,7912025
26Tata MotorsIndia5,4882026
27BYDChina3,8052025
28LeapmotorChina8682025
29Volvo CarSweden7992025
30SAIC MotorChina-1,4082025
31FAW CarChina-2,1082025
32Li AutoChina-2,3502025
33StellantisNetherlands-2,9672025
34JAC MotorsChina-9,4502025
35NissanJapan-13,6742026
36XPengChina-17,8622025
37GAC GroupChina-23,7512025
38Lotus TechnologyChina-48,0612025
39NIOChina-51,3852025
40HondaJapan-62,5642026
41LucidUnited States-101,9942025
42Aston MartinUnited Kingdom-107,5572025
43RivianUnited States-202,8872025
44PolestarSweden-1,028,0222025

Fiscal years can differ by company (FY column).

My take
Profit per employee is the industry's efficiency metric. It separates the automakers that earn a lot with a small workforce from the big employment machines. Whoever leads here generates the most per head, not necessarily the most in total.
Philipp Raasch
Philipp RaaschFounder · Der Autopreneur

Methodology

Profit per employee = operating profit of the automotive business in the latest fiscal year (in euros) divided by the number of employees. Profit here means the operating result of the automotive segment, not consolidated net income, so that taxes, financial services and one-off effects stay out. The employee figure is the group headcount. An efficiency metric: how much operating profit a company generates per head. Pure conglomerates such as Xiaomi (mostly smartphones) and Mahindra (tractors and financial services) are excluded because most of their revenue does not come from cars. Losses appear as negative values. Only companies with both figures available are included.

All information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Financial figures may be delayed, preliminary or contain errors. No guarantee of accuracy, completeness or timeliness. Exchange rates: European Central Bank.

Frequently asked questions

Which automaker is the most efficient?

Ferrari generates the highest profit per employee of any automaker, at 367,248 euros per employee, ahead of Kia (160,431) and Maruti Suzuki (89,568). As of fiscal years 2025/2026.

How is profit per employee calculated?

Profit per employee is the operating result of the automotive business from the latest fiscal year in euros, divided by the group headcount. It uses the operating result of the automotive segment, not consolidated net income, so that taxes, financial services and one-off effects do not distort the picture. The segment result is approximated from the reported segment margin and group revenue. An efficiency metric: how much operating profit a company generates per head. Losses appear as negative values.

Where do I find the most efficient suppliers?

The automotive suppliers have their own ranking. Continental leads there with 91,802 euros per employee. To the supplier ranking by profit per employee.

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