Webasto Marine Heating & Cooling Solutions

The Webasto Group is a family-owned and operated company that was founded by Wilhelm Baier Senior in 1901 in Stockdorf near Munich. Originally, the company manufactured stamped components, wire holders, and home appliances. The first product for the automotive industry was a folding roof that the founder constructed in 1932. Now the company is engaged in the production of automotive air conditioning, heating, and ventilation components and systems as well as single-piece roofs and convertible rooftops.

The brand is among the biggest 100 OEM parts suppliers globally. While being one of the market forerunners for fuel- and coolant-driven secondary heaters for vehicles, like the Webasto Thermo Top C or the Webasto Air Top 2000, and parking heater units, the company also considers electromobility as a very important factor of its development strategy. To be able to develop this niche of the market, Webasto has created a highly-efficient electrical heating system for hybrid-electric automobiles, which can heat the cabin while driving.

The company is ahead when it comes to utilizing new materials. One of the biggest challenges that the automobile industry faces today is the increase in fuel efficiency. This is exactly why the idea of lightweight designs and usage of materials such as polycarbonates is increasingly important. Webasto has its own plastics center, where a variety of innovative roof elements are manufactured out of polycarbonates. In the Webasto product range, there are also sunroofs and parking heaters for retrofitting by end users. A reputable manufacturer of convertible rooftops today, Webasto was the first to produce a five-part steel convertible hardtop roof with built-in glass for the VW Eos.