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Flexible logistics solutions are playing an increasingly important role in the rapidly changing automotive industry. DB Cargo Logistics recognised this development early on and reacted accordingly in the interest of its customers: With flexible car carrier wagons, the DB Cargo subsidiary offers state-of-the-art solutions for transporting a wide range of vehicle types, from classic compact cars to large SUVs and heavy electric vehicles.

Nitra, Slovakia. 19 double-deck wagons from DB Cargo are loaded with Defender and Discovery models at the JLR plant. They form one of eight block trains that run every week from here to the major North Sea ports in Belgium. The freight train now has around 1,300 kilometres and three national borders ahead of it. The entire logistics chain is managed by DB Cargo Logistics.

The rail link from central Europe to Spain and Portugal via France is important for many industrial sectors, including the automotive, consumer goods, steel and chemical industries. The route enables customers to transport their products to the Iberian Peninsula by rail despite the different track gauge used there.

Before a car hits the road for the first time, its different components have already travelled many kilometres – quite a few of them by rail. To help make this supply chain as sustainable as possible, Mercedes-Benz relies on services provided by DB Cargo Logistics, which include transporting transmission parts and finished transmissions.

The automotive industry is undergoing its biggest transformation since the introduction of assembly line production. This industry portrait sheds light on how DB Cargo is adapting to the trends and meeting the challenges, with a focus on battery logistics and electric car distribution.

It's the holy grail of rail logistics providers everywhere: freight trains running loaded on every journey. The reality is often quite different, as trains usually transport goods to one destination and then travel empty to the next pick-up address. Not so with the transport recently launched by Stellantis and DB Cargo Logistics – a great partnership with a recipe for success.

Electric vehicles are among the most important and visible factors in the transition to new drive technologies. But a true measurement of their carbon emissions should include not only the energy used to charge them but also the vehicles' production and transport – a view on which DB Cargo Logistics and Volkswagen Group Logistics agree.

Volkswagen Group Logistics has been relying on DB Cargo Logistics' rail logistics solutions for a number of years now, providing carbon neutral carriage of finished vehicles, materials and components to and from its plants in Germany. The company is a pioneer in Eco Solutions and is now also the first user of DBeco plus in Poland.

Zeebrugge is the second-largest port in Belgium. It enjoys an ideal location on the North Sea and close to the UK, while at the same time within easy reach of western Europe's economic centres. Zeebrugge is an important container port that can also accommodate deep-draft ships. Above all, it is one of the world's most important transhipment sites for new cars.

Electric vehicles are seen as a major component of the decarbonisation of energy and transport. However, it is essential that we not only consider the cars themselves but also their carbon footprint, which includes production and supply chains. Audi is one of the pioneers of this trend.

Rail freight transport is already extremely climate-friendly. But it gets even better. Thanks to DBeco plus and DBeco neutral, freight transport can even be entirely CO2-free on rail or climate neutral on sections of routes where emissions are unavoidable. Mercedes-Benz is one customer relying on DB Cargo's carbon-free and climate neutral freight logistics.

Chinese company CATL is the world's largest manufacturer of batteries for electric vehicles. Since January 2022, DB Cargo Logistics has been handling multimodal transport of lithium-ion cell modules in steel frames for CATL.

Webasto wants to make its service and supply chains efficient and climate-friendly. After test runs, one of the 100 largest suppliers to the automotive industry worldwide is now going into regular operation on the rails and plans to expand further.

The "climate footprint" of an e-car also includes the supply chain and the production of these vehicles. The newly established Automotive Logistics Center in Bremen supports Mercedes-Benz in a major task: bringing the heart of the e-cars - the drive batteries – to the manufacturer in an environmentally friendly way.