Auto Parts

Ask a Formula 1 engineer which tire maker has spent the most time under the most extreme working conditions on the planet, and the answer is Pirelli — the sport's exclusive tire supplier since 2011. Founded in Milan in 1872 as a rubber company, Pirelli pivoted to tires and never looked back, building its reputation on the P Zero and Cinturato families that equip supercars from Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche. Beyond the paddock glamour sits a serious industrial player: about 31,000 employees, roughly €6.6 billion in 2023 revenue, and factories on four continents. Its high-value strategy concentrates on premium and prestige tires, which is why it supplies original-equipment fitments to most European luxury marques and runs a dedicated cyber tire program — sensors embedded in tires that report pressure, temperature, and load data to fleet operators. For procurement teams, Pirelli matters in two niches: winter and performance tires, where homologation and noise/rolling-resistance standards vary by market, and the fast-growing segment of EV-specific tires engineered to handle instant torque and heavier battery weight.

Magna started in 1957 as a one-man tool-and-die shop in a Toronto garage, founded by Austrian immigrant Frank Stronach. Seven decades later it is the most diversified auto supplier in the world: 179,000 employees across roughly 340 manufacturing plants in 28 countries, with 2023 sales near US$42 billion. Unusual for a parts maker, Magna can build an entire car. Its complete-vehicle assembly unit has produced millions of vehicles for brands including Mercedes-Benz (the G-Class) and BMW, while its component divisions span body exteriors, seating, powertrain, mirrors, lighting, electronics, and mechatronics such as smart door systems. The company is also a major EV supplier, manufacturing battery enclosures, e-drive units, and thermal management systems. Buyers work with Magna for a specific reason: one supplier that can handle a system rather than just a part, with engineering centers near most OEM plants and a launch-quality record that keeps it on virtually every automaker's approved vendor list.