API & Data Licensing · Early Access

Production-grade automotive data for the German market

5,000+ verified vehicle specifications, 34,400+ historical brochures, depreciation curves, and KBA-grade market data — delivered through a documented REST API or licensed as bulk datasets.

# Fetch verified specs for any vehicle
curl -X GET "https://api.automobilisto.de/v1/
    vehicles/bmw/3-series/g20-330i" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"

# Response (truncated)
{
  "id": "bmw-3-series-g20-330i",
  "msrp_original_eur": 48450,
  "power_kw": 190,
  "co2_wltp_gkm": 147,
  "depreciation_3y": 0.42,
  "verified_sources": 3
}
5,000+

Verified vehicles

34,400+

Historical brochures

300+

Brands covered

1960–2026

Historical depth

Built for

Who uses Automobilisto data

Our partners use vehicle specs, brochure archive, and depreciation data for very different purposes — but the underlying need is the same: verified, structured, ready-to-integrate German market data that's expensive or impossible to build in-house.

OEMs & dealer networks

Competitor benchmarks, white-label comparison widgets for dealer sites, historical model archives.

e.g. spec comparison · brochure CMS

Insurers & leasing

Vehicle classification, Typklasse mapping, residual value forecasting, total cost of ownership models.

e.g. risk scoring · TCO models

Fleet & logistics

Fleet electrification planning, depreciation curves for procurement, vehicle eligibility for Umweltzonen.

e.g. fleet renewal · EV planning

Automotive media

Spec lookup widgets for editorial sites, historical brochure references, automated comparison content.

e.g. spec widgets · archive lookup

Research & academia

Longitudinal market datasets, EV adoption studies, depreciation research, emissions trend analysis.

e.g. EV transition · TCO studies

Products

Four ways to get Automobilisto data

REST endpoints, bulk exports, custom datasets, and embeddable widgets — choose based on your integration depth and data refresh requirements.

In development

Vehicle Specs API

REST endpoints for verified technical specifications, comparisons, depreciation, and lookup across 5,000+ vehicles. JSON responses, cursor pagination, rate-limited by tier.

  • Engine, dimensions, performance, original MSRP
  • Equipment codes, trims, generation history
  • Depreciation curves & Schwacke cross-reference
  • Two-source verification flag on every record
GET /v1/vehicles/{brand}/{model}
GET /v1/vehicles/compare?ids=a,b,c
GET /v1/depreciation/{vehicle_id}
In development

Brochure Archive API

Programmatic access to 34,400+ historical brochures and documents — metadata search, full-text search, and direct PDF delivery. Coverage from 1960 to current model year.

  • Search by brand, model, year, market region
  • Full-text search across OCR'd PDFs
  • Direct signed-URL PDF delivery
  • Metadata: year, country, language, page count
GET /v1/brochures?brand=bmw&year=1985
GET /v1/brochures/{id}
GET /v1/brochures/{id}/download
Planned

Data Licensing

Bulk exports and custom datasets for enterprise partners. Historical depreciation curves, German market intelligence, and tailored data feeds with negotiated SLA and refresh schedules.

  • Bulk CSV / Parquet / JSON exports
  • Custom dataset preparation per use case
  • Historical depreciation & residual values
  • SLA-backed plans with refresh cadence
POST /v1/licensing/datasets/request
GET /v1/licensing/datasets/{id}/status
GET /v1/licensing/datasets/{id}/download
In development

White-label Widgets

Embeddable comparison and specification components — vehicle lookup, side-by-side spec comparison, brochure viewer. Themed to match your brand, hosted by us or self-hosted.

  • Vehicle spec lookup widget
  • Side-by-side comparison component
  • Brochure viewer with deep-link support
  • Brand theming & custom color schemes
<script src="https://widgets.automobilisto.de/
v1/loader.js" data-key="..." data-widget=
"compare" data-vehicles="vw-golf-8,..."></script>
What's in the data

The underlying dataset

Every API call and licensed dataset draws from the same verified foundation. Three core data layers, all sourced from primary materials and editorially reviewed.

5,000+

Vehicle catalog

Verified technical specifications across 300+ brands and 5,000+ models. Two-source verification on every record, including manufacturer materials, homologation documents, and official configurators.

Format: JSON / CSVRefresh: weekly
34,400+

Brochure archive

Original manufacturer brochures, technical documents, and homologation papers spanning 1960 to present. Indexed by brand, model, year, and market region. PDF + OCR'd full text.

Format: PDF + metadata JSONRefresh: monthly
2010–2026

Market & depreciation

Historical depreciation curves, residual value tracking, and German market intelligence cross-referenced with KBA registration data and Schwacke/DAT valuations.

Format: time-series JSONRefresh: monthly
Use cases

How partners actually use the data

Concrete integration patterns from early-access conversations. Each case maps to one or more products — most production deployments combine the API with licensed bulk exports.

OEM

Competitor benchmarking dashboard

A German OEM uses the Vehicle Specs API to power an internal benchmarking tool — pulling competitor specs nightly, generating side-by-side comparisons against their model lineup, and feeding the data into product planning meetings.

  • Vehicle Specs API
  • Comparison endpoint
  • Daily polling
Insurer

Risk-scoring & Typklasse mapping

An insurance platform integrates the spec API to enrich quote flows — mapping VIN-derived models to verified spec records, applying GDV Typklasse data, and forecasting residual value via depreciation curves.

  • Specs API
  • Depreciation curves
  • Custom dataset
Fleet

Electrification planning & TCO

A fleet operator licenses a custom dataset combining BEV-only specs, depreciation curves, and Umweltzonen eligibility — driving their 2027 fleet renewal decision and modelling 5-year TCO across 1,200+ candidate vehicles.

  • Data Licensing
  • BEV subset
  • Bulk export
Media

Editorial spec widgets & archive

An automotive publication embeds white-label widgets across their model review pages — instant spec lookup, side-by-side comparisons, and deep-links into historical brochures with their brand styling.

  • White-label widgets
  • Brochure Archive API
  • CDN hosting
Why Automobilisto

How we compare to other automotive data sources

There are several ways to access German market data. Here's the honest comparison — each option has trade-offs depending on your use case, budget, and integration timeline.

AutomobilistoBuilding in-houseGeneric aggregatorsOEM partnerships
German market depth Native Requires scraping & verification Limited DE coverage Only their own brand
Historical brochure access 34,400+ docs Years to build Not offered Their archive only
Two-source verification Per record Manual Single source Native (own data)
Integration time Days to weeks 6–18 months Days 3–6 months legal
Cross-brand neutrality Independent Independent Independent Single brand
Roadmap

What's ready and what's coming

We launched early to start working with partners during the development phase. Early-access partners help shape the API surface, get priority on feature requests, and lock in launch pricing.

Vehicle specs database
5,000+ verified vehicles, 300+ brands, two-source verification
Live
Brochure archive
34,400+ historical documents, 1960–present, OCR'd full text
Live
REST API (beta)
v1 endpoints for specs lookup, comparison, depreciation
In development
SDK & documentation
JS, Python, PHP SDKs with full API reference
In development
Bulk data export
CSV / Parquet / JSON exports for licensing partners
Planned
SLA-backed plans
99.9% uptime, dedicated support, custom rate limits
Planned
White-label widgets
Embeddable JS components with brand theming
In development
Technical

Built for production integration

Predictable, documented, monitored. The API is designed to drop into existing data pipelines, dealer-site templates, and B2B platforms without operational surprises.

REST + JSON

Standard REST endpoints, JSON responses, cursor pagination, ISO 8601 timestamps.

API key + OAuth 2

API keys for server-to-server, OAuth 2 for partner-side authenticated calls.

Predictable latency

p95 under 200 ms for spec lookup, under 600 ms for comparison endpoints (target).

Rate limits by tier

Tiered rate limits — partner intake determines requests-per-minute and burst quota.

SDK coverage

JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, PHP SDKs in development. Full OpenAPI spec at launch.

Audit-friendly

Verification flag on every record. Source traceability — every spec links to its origin.

Webhooks

Subscribe to data updates — new vehicle entries, spec revisions, brochure additions.

GDPR-compliant

EU-hosted infrastructure, no personal data in vehicle records, DPA on request.

Get started

Request partner access

Tell us about your use case, data requirements, and integration timeline. We'll get back within 3 business days with API credentials, scoped trial access, and a tailored discussion about pricing.

Pricing is structured per use case — volume, refresh cadence, white-label requirements, and SLA needs all factor in.

Prefer email?[email protected]
We'll respond within 3 business days. Data handling per our privacy policy.

Questions partners ask first

What's included in the Vehicle Specs API?

REST endpoints providing structured specifications for over 5,000 verified vehicles: engine specs, dimensions, performance figures, original MSRP, equipment codes, and historical comparison data. Includes depreciation curves where the underlying data supports them, with explicit confidence flags per record.

How is the data verified?

Every vehicle entry is cross-referenced against minimum two independent sources: manufacturer specification sheets, homologation documents, and official configurators. Our full editorial methodology is published on the methodology page — including how we handle source conflicts, regional variants, and historical data gaps.

What's the data update frequency?

Vehicle specifications are updated weekly as manufacturers release new models or revisions. The brochure archive grows monthly. Market and depreciation data follows the underlying source cadence — KBA registrations update monthly, Schwacke valuations quarterly.

Do you offer historical data?

Yes. Our brochure archive contains 34,400+ documents going back to the 1960s, and our vehicle catalog includes original specifications and MSRP data for discontinued models. Useful for restoration projects, insurance valuations of classics, and historical research on the German automotive market.

Can I get a custom dataset?

Yes — data licensing includes custom dataset preparation for specific use cases. Typical examples: depreciation curves for an insurer's segment, EV-only datasets for fleet electrification studies, regional registration breakdowns by Land for OEM market planning.

What about pricing?

Pricing is structured per use case. Volume, refresh cadence, white-label requirements, SLA needs, and exclusivity all factor in — every B2B integration we've shipped has needed a different shape, so we don't publish public price lists. The partner intake form is the fastest way to get a tailored quote.

Is the data GDPR-compliant?

Our vehicle records contain no personal data — they describe vehicle specifications, not owners or drivers. Infrastructure is EU-hosted. We provide a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) on request for partners who integrate the API into their own consumer-facing flows.

How do I get started?

Submit the partner intake form on this page or email [email protected] directly. We'll discuss your use case, scope a pilot, and grant early-access credentials — typically within 3 business days.