About HANSER automotive

HANSER automotive

HANSER automotive is the leading German-language trade journal for automotive electronics, published eight times a year plus two special editions by the Carl Hanser Verlag in Munich. Positioned at the interface between development and management, the magazine is the decisive platform for electronics in the automotive and supplier industry: practice-oriented, influential, and read by hardware and software development engineers with direct product and purchasing interests as well as the executives who oversee products, components, and systems. With 84 percent of readers in senior decision-making positions, according to its media data, the journal reaches exactly those who trigger investments, approve budgets, and initiate technology partnerships in the automotive electronics value chain.

Overview

HANSER automotive describes itself as the practice-oriented information source for all application areas of automotive electronics. Its readers are development, test, project, and application engineers working for vehicle manufacturers or in the automotive supply industry, along with executives and technical decision-makers seeking an overview of products, components, and systems. The magazine reports in specialist articles, interviews, and brief contributions on products, systems, trends, and the key topics of e-mobility, connectivity, safety and security, the software-defined vehicle, and development and testing solutions.

The journal appears in DIN A4 format at a cover price of 109 euros, with a print run of 7,500 copies and a distributed circulation of 10,724 copies including 3,228 digital e-paper copies, according to IVW figures for the second quarter of 2024. The engineering section covers the latest development and simulation tools; expert reports address key technologies in diagnostics, testing, and measurement. The journal keeps its readers current on automated driving and e-mobility, while security coverage addresses the attack surfaces of the modern connected car and the solutions available against hacker threats.

History

HANSER automotive is published by the Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, the German technical-scientific specialist publisher based at Kolbergerstrasse 22 (postal address P.O. Box 860420, 81631 Munich). The publishing house, known for quality and exclusivity in its contributions, works closely with the relevant industrial sectors and university institutes, and its portfolio includes renowned journals such as Kunststoffe, Plastics Insights, QZ Qualität und Zuverlässigkeit, FORM+Werkzeug, and WB Werkstatt + Betrieb alongside HANSER automotive.

In a major development for the German trade-media market, the Vogel Communications Group announced in autumn 2026 that it would take over the industrial trade-media division of Carl Hanser Verlag effective January 1, 2027. The acquired portfolio includes HANSER automotive with its special publications OEM Supplier and MOBILE Automation, FORM+Werkzeug, Kunststoffe, Plastics Insights, QZ, and WB Werkstatt + Betrieb with its Swiss precision-manufacturing special. The titles will be managed and developed at the WIN-Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Vogel Communications Group. With the takeover, Vogel, already one of Germany's largest B2B media houses, systematically expands its presence in the central industrial markets of automotive, plastics technology, production, quality assurance, and workshops. The move follows Vogel's earlier acquisitions of the WIN-Verlag (2023), the Meorga trade-fair organizer (2024), and Axel Springer's content-marketing division and Hüthig's Plastverarbeiter and Kautschuk Gummi Kunststoffe (2025), reflecting a rapid consolidation of the German specialist-media market.

Coverage and Content

The journal's editorial program is organized around the key technologies of the modern vehicle. E-mobility coverage addresses the electronics of electric drivetrains, from power electronics to battery management. Connectivity reporting covers the networking of vehicles with each other and with infrastructure, while the software-defined vehicle, one of the industry's most consequential transformations, is treated as a standing topic. Safety and security coverage addresses both functional safety and cybersecurity, reflecting the growing attack surface of connected cars. Development and testing solutions, including diagnostics, measurement, and simulation tools, serve the engineering core readership.

The special publications extend the brand: OEM Supplier addresses the supplier industry's relationship with vehicle manufacturers, and MOBILE Automation covers automation in mobile machinery. The digital offering includes the website, banner advertising, retargeting, account-based marketing and trade-fair targeting, content marketing, native ads, product highlights, video contributions, white papers, social media, the HANSER automotive News newsletter, and standalone newsletters. Job advertisements with multiposting serve the industry's recruitment needs. The combination of in-depth technical articles, interviews, and trend reports distinguishes the journal from general automotive media, keeping its focus on the electronics and software that increasingly define the vehicle.

Market Context

HANSER automotive serves an industry in profound transformation. The shift from mechanical to electronic and software-defined vehicles has made automotive electronics the decisive battleground of the car industry: the value share of electronics and software in the vehicle keeps rising, and with it the strategic importance of the engineers and executives who form the journal's readership. German manufacturers and suppliers, facing competition from new entrants and the transition to electromobility, depend on precisely the kind of specialist knowledge the journal provides, from power electronics to vehicle cybersecurity.

The consolidation of the German trade-media market, in which the journal itself is now involved through the Vogel takeover, mirrors the consolidation of its audience's industry. As the supplier landscape restructures and new technology players enter the automotive value chain, a journal positioned at the interface between development and management gains rather than loses relevance. The announced transfer to the WIN-Verlag, with its promise of editorial cooperation and cross-channel offerings, suggests the brand will be developed as part of a larger industrial-media platform rather than maintained as a standalone title.

Organization and Ownership

HANSER automotive is published by the Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, based in Munich, with the editorial office led by Andreas Hentschel. Media sales are handled by Stefan Strussione, with ad management by Daniel Warnicke. The journal is part of Hanser's industrial trade-journal division alongside Kunststoffe, QZ, FORM+Werkzeug, and Werkstatt + Betrieb.

Effective January 1, 2027, ownership of the industrial trade-media division, including HANSER automotive, transfers to the Vogel Communications Group, with the titles to be run by its WIN-Verlag subsidiary. The Vogel group stated that the acquired titles would be managed and developed there, and that together with existing offerings, new opportunities would arise for editorial cooperation, digital products, events, and cross-channel communication solutions for industrial companies. The takeover includes the associated web portals, newsletter formats, and other digital offerings. Until the transfer takes effect, the journal continues to be published by Carl Hanser Verlag.

Digital Presence

The journal's web portal serves as the digital hub for the brand, offering the full range of digital advertising formats from banners to retargeting and account-based marketing, alongside editorial content. The HANSER automotive News newsletter delivers industry news to subscribers, with standalone newsletters available for special topics. Social media, white papers, and video contributions extend the content offering beyond print.

The e-paper edition accounts for a significant share of the distributed circulation, with 3,228 digital copies in the IVW figures, reflecting the readership's comfort with digital formats. The journal is also available through digital newsstand services such as United Kiosk. For a specialist audience of engineers and executives, the digital presence functions as both a news service and a business platform, connecting the automotive electronics community through newsletters, webinars, and targeted digital campaigns.

The digital advertising portfolio illustrates how far the brand has moved beyond print: banner price lists and positions, retargeting, account-based marketing, trade-fair targeting, native advertising, product highlights, video contributions, white papers, and social media campaigns are all part of the offering. Standalone newsletters allow advertisers to reach the audience with dedicated messages, while job ads with multiposting address the industry's competition for engineering talent. This full-funnel digital offering, combined with the print journal's authority, makes HANSER automotive a comprehensive communication platform for the automotive electronics industry.