Training course – n8n – Automotive

n8n for the Automotive Industry

Workflow automation with n8n and AI: master nodes, the AI Agent node, integrations and GDPR-friendly self-hosting in practice.

Duration
6 hours, one session
Format
Online or on-site
Language
German or English
Participants
open dates or exclusive for your team
Certificate
Certificate of attendance

Overview

This course connects n8n with the everyday processes of Automotive. Participants work on realistic scenarios and leave with prompts, workflows and checklists they can use straight away.

n8n is a flexible workflow automation platform that combines visual flows with language models and hundreds of integrations. Unlike many cloud services, n8n can also be self-hosted, so your data can stay in your own data centre or with a European hosting provider. In this compact course you will learn how triggers, nodes and data flows fit together, how to transform data between applications and how to automate recurring tasks from your day-to-day work reliably.

The core of the course is the combination of automation and AI. Using the AI Agent node, chat models, memory and tools, you build workflows that classify emails, summarise documents, enrich records or answer enquiries. You learn to catch errors, test workflows and document them properly. Finally, you look at hosting options, credential management and data protection, so that your automations run stably, securely and in line with GDPR once they go into everyday operation.

The automotive industry is under immense pressure to change: electrification, software-defined vehicles, new competitors and demanding regulation are transforming manufacturers, suppliers and dealerships alike. Generative AI supports almost every stage of the value chain – from requirements management in engineering, through supplier communication and complaint handling in purchasing and quality, to sales and aftersales at the dealership. AI assistants help unlock specifications, standards and test reports, structure 8D reports or answer customer enquiries. AI agents connect data from different systems. What matters is protecting engineering know-how, meeting quality and safety standards and having clear approval processes.

The course is delivered live – either online in a virtual classroom or on-site in our training rooms in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern. We can also run it exclusively for your team.

Who is this course for?

  • Engineering and requirements management staff
  • Purchasing and supplier management at OEMs and suppliers
  • Quality management and complaint handling
  • Sales, service and aftersales at dealerships
  • Production and logistics planning

Typical challenges we address

  • Extensive specifications, standards and requirement documents
  • Heavy documentation workload in quality management and complaints
  • Complex supply chains requiring constant coordination
  • Strict protection of engineering data and intellectual property

What you will be able to do

  • You can build n8n workflows independently using triggers, logic nodes and data transformations.
  • You can connect n8n to the applications you use every day and fall back on the HTTP Request node where needed.
  • You can use the AI Agent node and other AI building blocks for classification, extraction and summarisation.
  • You can safeguard workflows with error handling, validation and human approval steps.
  • Analyse technical documents such as specifications and standards with AI in a structured way.
  • Accelerate quality, complaint and supplier processes with AI support.
  • Use AI while upholding confidentiality, quality standards and approval processes.

Course outline

Module 1 Fundamentals: workflows, triggers and nodes
  • Getting to know the n8n interface, canvas and execution view
  • Trigger types: schedules, webhooks, incoming email and app events
  • Understanding items and JSON data and working with expressions
  • Using core nodes such as Edit Fields, IF, Switch, Merge and Loop Over Items
Module 2 Integrations and data processing
  • Connecting common applications: email, spreadsheets, CRM, collaboration and cloud storage
  • Using the HTTP Request node for APIs without a ready-made integration
  • Creating, managing and sharing credentials securely within the team
  • Filtering, merging and reshaping data and writing it to target systems
Module 3 AI in n8n: the AI Agent node and LLM building blocks
  • Connecting chat models from different providers as well as locally hosted models
  • Configuring the AI Agent node with a system prompt, memory and tools
  • Automating classification, structured data extraction and summarisation
  • Using your own documents via vector stores for retrieval-augmented generation
Module 4 Error handling, testing and maintainability
  • Setting up error workflows, retries and failure notifications
  • Validating AI output and defining fallbacks for unusable responses
  • Working with pinned test data and tracing past executions
  • Modularising, naming and documenting workflows for colleagues
Module 5 Self-hosting, data protection and operations
  • Cloud versus self-hosted: effort, control and licensing model compared
  • Assessing data flows to AI providers against GDPR requirements
  • Managing access rights, logging and retention of execution data
  • Adding human-in-the-loop approval steps to automated processes
Module 6 Practice lab: Automotive
  • Analysing specifications
  • Complaints and 8D reports
  • Supplier communication
  • Unlocking standards and processes
  • Sales and aftersales
  • Training and technical documentation
Module 7 Data protection, quality & transfer to daily work
  • Engineering data, design documents and customer specifications are subject to strict confidentiality agreements and industry information security requirements such as TISAX, and may only be processed in approved AI environments. Customer data at dealerships falls under the GDPR, and safety-relevant content always requires expert sign-off.
  • Ground rules for safe AI use in your team
  • Checking results: facts, sources, tests and the four-eyes principle
  • Personal action plan for the next 30 days
  • Open questions, outlook and resources for further learning

Practical scenarios from your field

Analysing specifications

AI extracts requirements from lengthy customer specifications, compares them with the supplier's technical response, flags contradictions and ambiguities and drafts clarification questions for customers or development partners.

Complaints and 8D reports

Complaint descriptions are structured, potential causes gathered using methods such as Ishikawa and 8D reports written in clear language – root cause analysis remains the expert team's job.

Supplier communication

Requests, formal notices, escalations and audit reports are written precisely and in several languages, supplier ratings are commented on and meeting preparation is produced. Agreements are recorded for follow-up.

Unlocking standards and processes

Internal process descriptions, work instructions and quality requirements are made searchable, so staff receive answers with a reference to the governing document. New staff find applicable rules much faster.

Sales and aftersales

At the dealership, AI drafts offers, vehicle descriptions, replies to customer enquiries and service reminders and helps service advisers explain repairs clearly. Customer requests are captured for follow-up in the CRM.

Training and technical documentation

Training materials for assembly, service or new vehicle technologies are created from technical documents, simplified for the audience and translated into other languages. Quiz questions per chapter are included.

Prerequisites

You should be confident with common office applications and have basic experience with AI assistants. No programming is required, although a basic grasp of structured data is helpful. Professional experience at a vehicle manufacturer, supplier or dealership; no programming skills required.

Technical requirements

You will need a laptop with an up-to-date browser. We provide an n8n environment for the exercises, or you can use your own instance; API keys for a language model are set up together during the course.

Data protection & compliance

Engineering data, design documents and customer specifications are subject to strict confidentiality agreements and industry information security requirements such as TISAX, and may only be processed in approved AI environments. Customer data at dealerships falls under the GDPR, and safety-relevant content always requires expert sign-off.

Dates & locations

For every location we suggest a date roughly four weeks ahead. Your preferred date is always possible.

  • Munich Tue, 15 December 2026 6 hrs Request
  • Salzburg Tue, 15 December 2026 6 hrs Request
  • Berlin Mon, 14 December 2026 6 hrs Request
  • Augsburg Mon, 14 December 2026 6 hrs Request
  • Hanover Mon, 14 December 2026 6 hrs Request
  • Bremen Thu, 10 December 2026 6 hrs Request
  • Stuttgart Thu, 10 December 2026 6 hrs Request
  • Kaiserslautern Fri, 11 December 2026 6 hrs Request
  • Online Thu, 10 December 2026 6 hrs Request

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to code to work with n8n?

No. Most workflows are built visually by connecting nodes. During the course you also learn simple expressions to reference and reshape data precisely. A Code node is available for special cases but is not essential. A logical understanding of processes and data fields is entirely sufficient to get started.

Why is n8n attractive from a European data protection perspective?

n8n can be self-hosted, for instance on your own servers or with a European hosting provider. This keeps you in control of where workflow and execution data is stored. What still matters is which data you send to external AI services. On the course you learn to assess these data flows and, where appropriate, connect locally hosted models.

How does n8n differ from Make or Power Automate?

All three automate processes across applications. n8n stands out for its self-hosting option, its fair-code licensing and particularly flexible AI building blocks such as the AI Agent node. Make offers a very approachable cloud interface, while Power Automate excels at deep Microsoft integration. The course puts these differences into context for typical scenarios.

Can specifications be uploaded to AI tools?

Only into environments approved by your information security team that meet your customers' requirements. Many OEMs regulate this contractually. The course shows how to work with approved enterprise solutions, clean documents beforehand and which content never belongs in external services.

Can AI carry out a root cause analysis?

AI helps gather potential causes systematically, structure methods such as 5 Whys or Ishikawa and write reports. The actual analysis with measurements, tests and process knowledge remains the expert team's task. AI speeds up the path there and improves documentation quality.

How much does “n8n for the Automotive Industry” cost?

The course costs a flat €949 plus VAT per participant – whether online or on-site. This includes 6 hours of live training with a trainer, course materials, a lab environment and a certificate of attendance.

Can I suggest my own date?

Yes. For every location we suggest a date roughly four weeks ahead. In the request form you can always describe your preferred date or period in free text – we check availability and get back to you within one working day.

Is the course online or on-site?

Both are possible: live online in a virtual classroom or on-site in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern. We can also run the course exclusively for your team.

Can the course be tailored to our team?

Yes. Tailor-made courses cost approx. €4,500 more, depending on the topic and by arrangement. We agree content, examples and exercises with you in advance.

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