The authors point out the entire business orientated automotive value chain. With regard to the finance perspective these elements of the value chain are scrutinized chapter by chapter. Current trends in new mobility concepts, cross-industry strategic alliances as well as requirements for product launch, especially in the BRIC countries, are highlighted. The book provides the link between science and business practice in the automotive industry.

In this book, the future of one of the world's most important industries is examined from the perspective of work structures and labour relations policies. The authors examine the restructuring of the world automobile industry in the 1980s, and draw data from an in-depth empirical study of three leading car companies in three different countries: the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. They demonstrate that the different strategies employed by firms and trades unions in industrial relations, and different national characteristics, have had a major impact on the dismantling of Taylorism and Fordism and the introduction of new structures of work. This book is an important contribution to the study of change in mass production industries throughout the world. It will be of interest to students of industrial relations and industrial sociology, as well as specialists in government and business.

The orthodox view of Mexican history asserts that the political stability and rapid economic growth of the post-war period were due inter alia to state control over the labour movement. On the evidence of his extensive research in Mexico between 1977 and 1982, Ian Roxborough challenges this conventional wisdom, arguing that control over Mexican unions has been more fragile and problematic than appears at first sight. Taking the car industry as a case study, he discusses the upsurge of industrial militancy in the 1970s and explores its possible implications for continued political stability. Focusing on variations in the factory-level organisations of the working class, the account in this book de-emphasises theories which stress class consciousness or which focus on the aristocracy of labour, in favour of a theory that places political and organisational power at the centre of analysis. This study of the grass roots of industrial militancy will have relevance not only for the study of contemporary Mexico but also for general explanations of the politics of labour in the Third World.

Trust and Power argues that corporations have faced conflicts with the very consumers whose loyalty they sought. The book provides novel insights into the dialogue between corporations and consumers by examining the car industry during the twentieth century. In the new market at the turn of the century, car manufacturers produced defective cars, and consumers faced risks of physical injuries as well as financial losses. By the 1920s, cars were sold in a mass market where state agencies intervened to monitor, however imperfectly, product quality and fair pricing mechanisms. After 1945, the market matured as most US families came to rely on car transport. Again, the state intervened to regulate relations between buyers and sellers in terms of who had access to credit, and thus the ability to purchase expensive durables like cars.

Motor vehicles are prominent among the flows of exports and imports for Canada, Germany, Japan and the United States, and these trade flows are heavily influenced by the basic relative competitiveness of the production processes for automotive manufacturing. In this book the authors analyse in depth the factors that contributed to the comparative cost competitiveness of the four countries' auto industries over the period 1961-84, and disentangle the factors contributing to the Japanese cost and efficiency advantages. Their main contribution is to provide estimates of comparative costs of automobile production (both short-run and long-run) and the sources of these cost differences, based on the econometric cost-function methodology. An innovation is the careful treatment of capacity utilization, one of the most important sources of short-run cost and efficiency differences. This methodology is also used effectively in an analysis of the Canada-US Auto Pact, a unique experiment in trade liberalization.

In the 1950s, Brazil prohibited car imports and forced transnational auto companies either to abandon the market or manufacture vehicles within Brazil. Although current approaches to economic development would suggest that this type of industrialization policy would fail in the political-economic context of post-war Brazil, the plan was very successful. This book explains the economic and political motivations behind the plan and why Brazil relied on foreign firms to do the job. It documents the bargaining process between the Brazilian government and transnational firms, estimates the cost incurred by the government as a result of the plan, and provides new archival evidence that shows that firms would not have invested without government pressure. It argues that the current, polarized debate on the role of the state in economic development must become more nuanced, as the Brazilian auto case suggests that the effectiveness of state policy can vary greatly across sectors and over time.

This book offers a critical history of government policy toward the US automobile industry in order to assess the impact of the large corporation on American democracy. It offers the first book-length treatment of the power of the nation's largest industry. Drawing together the main policy issues affecting the automobile industry over the past forty years - occupant safety, emissions, fuel economy and trade - the work examines how the industry established its hegemony over the public perception of vehicle safety to inhibit federal regulation and the battle for federal regulation which succeeded in toppling this hegemony in 1966; the subsequent efforts to include pollution emissions and fuel economy under federal mandates in the 1970s; the industry's resurgence of influence in the 1980s; and the mixed pattern of influence in the 1990s. The analysis seeks to uncover factors that enhance corporate political influence, and those that constrain corporate power, allowing for public interest forces to be successful.

The decline of the British motor industry is one of the most spectacular developments in Britain's economic history. Conflicting explanations have been offered by scholars from different disciplines to produce a complex debate, which this 1995 study attempts to unravel. Placing the industry firmly in a European context, Roy Church re-examines the critical assessment of the achievements of the industry both before and after the onset of its decline in the 1960s, and goes on to test the various explanations which have been offered to account for this decline. He examines the role of government, of the trade unions, of management and of the multinationals, each of which has been seen as a major player in the demise of the British-owned industry. This concise and lucid review of the debate will be invaluable to students of modern British and European economic history.

The decline of the British motor industry is one of the most spectacular developments in Britain's economic history. Conflicting explanations have been offered by scholars from different disciplines to produce a complex debate, which this 1995 study attempts to unravel. Placing the industry firmly in a European context, Roy Church re-examines the critical assessment of the achievements of the industry both before and after the onset of its decline in the 1960s, and goes on to test the various explanations which have been offered to account for this decline. He examines the role of government, of the trade unions, of management and of the multinationals, each of which has been seen as a major player in the demise of the British-owned industry. This concise and lucid review of the debate will be invaluable to students of modern British and European economic history.

Winner of the 2003 Shingo Prize! Henry Ford is the man who doubled wages, cut the price of a car in half, and produced over 2 million units a year. Time has not diminished the progressiveness of his business philosophy, or his profound influence on worldwide industry. The modern printing of Today and Tomorrow features an introduction by James J. Padilla, Group Vice President, Ford North America. It also includes an enhanced selection of photos illustrating the processes and facilities Ford covers in the text. Taiichi Ohno acknowledged that a key stimulus to JIT was his close reading of this book. Today, these same ideas are re-emerging to revitalize American industry in new ways. "I, for one, am in awe of Ford's greatness. I believe Ford was a born rationalist -- and I feel more so every time I read his writings. He had a deliberate and scientific way of thinking about industry in America. For example, on the issues of standardization and the nature of waste in business, Ford's perception of things was orthodox and universal."- Taiichi Ohno

Insane Mode is the astounding story of the most revolutionary car company since Ford, revealing how, under Elon Musk's leadership, it is bringing to an end the era of gasoline-powered transportation.

Hamish McKenzie, journalist and former writer for Tesla, explores how an unlikely West Coast start-up with an audacious dream to create a new successful US car company, went up against not only the might of the government-backed Detroit companies, but also the massive power of Big Oil. Insane Mode is a story of ingenuity and revolution - of how a new world of transportation could change people's lives globally.

Competition, Power and Industrial Flexibility assesses the varying ways in which automobile assemblers in several countries of East and Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas have sought to enhance their efficiency and flexibility in response to heightened global competition during the 1980s and early 1990s. It then explores the implications of such managerial strategies for workers and trade unions, and the responses of unions in seeking to preserve or enhance worker welfare and voice under industrial restructuring.

Exploring Ford UK's design studios during the past 70 years, this book provides a unique insight into the company's history, its UK studio locations, and delves into the lives of the designers, modellers and studio engineers.As a profession, automotive design has changed hugely over the past century and continues to evolve as new processes are developed. This book charts the development of Ford projects in the UK, particularly those designed in the Dunton studio, which opened in 1967 and is still a key part of Ford's design resource in Europe. From the early days of chalk drawings and wooden models for the Consul to today's digital renderings and milled clays for the latest Transit, Ford's designers and technicians have never been short of creativity. This book tells their story, in their own words.

Inventing Mobility For All: Mastering Mobility-as-a-Service with Self-Driving Vehicles explores 'Mobility-as-a-Service' and explains the impact of this mobility concept on social and societal life, as well as on global travel behaviours. In this volume, Andreas Herrmann and Johann Jungwirth powerfully illustrate that mobility is a fundamental human right that can best be fulfilled with new autonomous vehicle development and use, showcasing how these forms of mobility will improve accessibility for the disabled, aid protection for the environment and to open how we design our cities in completely new ways.

Named one of the Best Business Books of 2021 by The Wall Street Journal In Japan it's called the "Ghosn Shock"-the stunning arrest of Carlos Ghosn, the jet-setting CEO who saved Nissan and made it part of a global automotive empire. Even more shocking was his daring escape from Japan, packed into a box and put on a private jet to Lebanon after months spent in a Japanese detention center, subsisting on rice gruel. This is the saga of what led to the Ghosn Shock and what was left in its wake. Ghosn spent two decades building a colossal partnership between Nissan and Renault that looked like a new model for a global business, but the alliance's shiny image fronted an unsteady, tense operation. Culture clashes, infighting among executives and engineers, dueling corporate traditions, and government maneuvering constantly threatened the venture. Journalists Hans Greimel and William Sposato have followed the story up close, with access to key players, including Ghosn himself. Veteran Tokyo-based reporters, they have witnessed the end of Japan's bubble economy and attempts at opening Japan Inc. to the world. They've seen the fraying of keiretsu, Japan's traditional skein of business relationships, and covered numerous corporate scandals, of which the Ghosn Shock and Ghosn's subsequent escape stand above all. Expertly reported, Collision Course explores the complex suspicions around what and who was really responsible for Ghosn's ouster and why one of the top executives in the world would risk everything to escape the country. It explains how economics, history, national interests, cultural politics, and hubris collided, crumpling the legacy of arguably the most important foreign businessman ever to set foot in Japan. This gripping, unforgettable narrative, full of fascinating characters, serves as part cautionary tale, part object lesson, and part forewarning of the increasing complexity of doing global business in a nationalistic world.

This book, the first ever based on unrestricted access to General Motors' internal records, documents the giant American corporation's dealings with the Third Reich. GM purchased Opel, Europe's largest automaker, in the 1920s and continued to hold it through the Second World War. Historian Henry Ashby Turner, Jr., uncovers the fascinating story of how the American carmaker conducted business in Germany under the Nazi regime and explores larger issues concerning the relations between international corporations and the Third Reich.
The book presents new and detailed information about General Motors' interactions with Hitler and other Nazi officials, including the carmaker's attempt to capture the Volkswagen project. It also reveals how American GM executives thwarted a sustained Nazi effort to gain control of Opel. The author concludes with an assessment of the extent of the company's implication, through Opel, in the Nazi war effort and in the exploitation of forced labor.

snt it time that we are told the insider TRUTH regarding the intentional and unintentional cover-ups made by the big boys in Detroit. We will be booking media appearances for this Author as well as book signing events in the Author hometown as well as additional cities and states. We booked this Author over 100 media appearances in 2014. Isnt it time that we are told the insider TRUTH regarding the intentional and unintentional cover-ups made by the big boys in Detroit. An industry, the Auto Industry, driven by profits-over-principle according to many of its critics. Be prepared to buckle-up and enjoy this ride! This book is the first tell it like it is, of its kind! Why is it so difficult to tell the truth? Jason Vines starts this book with a simple question: why is it so difficult to tell the truth? Sadly, spoiler alert, he ends it with the same question. From Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton to Lance Armstrong to the IRS to Brian Williams to Bill Cosby to Tiger Woods and the NFL; why is it so painfully difficult? Vines cautions the reader up-front: Relax, this is not a book about Jesus. However, he does appear in two chapters: first as a Hispanic grandfather from Waterford, Michigan, and later as the real Prince of Peace. No, this is a book about my life in the public relations blast furnace in the automotive industry; a quickly-derailed attempt to help a friend rebuild Detroits tattered image, thwarted by the sex, lies and corruption of former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick; and, finally, trying to avoid another crisis with the number one selling book of all time. No, not Harry Potter; the Bible.

Tesla disrupts the automotive industry by creating many innovative pieces that fit together. Its marketing, production, sales and technology strategies are all notably different from its competitors. The Tesla Way is an elongated case study looking at Tesla's business model and how this can be applied to existing manufacturing and production strategies in other companies. The author also includes case studies from Michelin, Mass and other consumer goods manufacturing companies.

The Tesla Way will look at the origins of Tesla, its journey to success, new business models and what will come next. The author includes a mixture of the theory behind the Tesla business model and its applications, examining the combination between the manufacturing world and the digital world. He draws from his expertise gathered from industry as well as working for Tesla. He has also interviewed a cross-section of Tesla's current employees in both the USA and France. At the end of each chapter an interview with a CEO or top manager of an industrial firm is featured: the reader can read, among others, the stories of Luxor Lighting, ThyssenKrupp, Bosch or Kimberley Clarke. There are also insightful questions for managers. Online supporting resources include sample templates for analysing efficiency of processes on the factory floor.

Corporations, including those in the car industry, are increasingly keen to proclaim their green credentials. But what motivates firms to reduce the environmental impact of their products? Rather than accepting the conventional wisdom, John Mikler addresses this question in a novel way by taking a comparative institutionalist approach informed by the Varieties of Capitalism literature. Focusing on Germany, the US and Japan, the author shows that national variations in capitalist relations of production are central to explaining how the car industry tackles the issue of climate change, such variations are crucial for understanding the normative as well as material basis for firms' motivations. This ground-breaking book will be of great benefit to students and academics, particularly those with an interest in comparative politics, public policy and international political economy. It may also serve as a resource for courses on environmental politics and environmental management as well as aspects of international relations and business/management. Given the book's contemporary policy relevance, it will be a valuable reference for policy practitioners with an interest in industry policy, multinational corporations, the environment, and institutional approaches to comparative politics.

A behind-the-scenes look at Lexus's surprising twenty-year success story--in a revised new edition

In the 1980s, German brands BMW and Mercedes-Benz dominated the luxury car market and had little reason to fear competition from Japan. But in 1989, Toyota entered the market with the Lexus LS 400, a car that could compete with the Germans in every category but price--it was US$30,000 cheaper. Within two years, Lexus had overtaken Mercedes-Benz in the United States and made a stunning success of Toyota's brave foray into the global luxury market.

"Lexus: The Relentless Pursuit" reveals why Toyota decided to take on the German automakers and how the new brand won praise and success for its unparalleled quality, unforgettable advertising, and unprecedented customer service. From the first boardroom planning session to Lexus's entry into the mega-luxury supercar market, this is the complete and compelling story of one of the world's most admired brands.Includes a new Foreword by legendary designer Erwin Lui, an Afterword with updates since the first edition, and a new Coda by leading Japanese automotive journalist Hisao InoueCovers the racetrack triumph--and tragedy--behind the new US$375,000 Lexus LFA supercarOffers important business lessons for brand managers and executives

For car enthusiasts, business leaders, and anyone interested in branding and marketing, "Lexus: The Relentless Pursuit" offers an amazing story of excellence and innovation in the automotive industry.

This book provides an integrated perspective of the automotive market for the next decade. It shows how customers and producers are shaping the market simultaneously and contends that the first steps of the mobility revolution have already been taken. It compels automotive companies to strike new paths to participate in this journey. The authors provide a comprehensive analysis of the automotive industry, including prevailing business models of OEMs and 'tier-n' automotive suppliers, the competitive environment they are embedded in as well as socio-economic changes affecting future market conditions. Subsequently, elements of the automotive disruption are presented; these enable the provision of novel urban mobility concepts and offer a new source for additional services accompanying the user. A comprehensive insight into consumer behavior, potential automotive business models which can be sustained by 2030, smart city models, transformation strategies, and diverse market penetration scenarios are also provided in the book. It also outlines the challenges and key actions that shape the automotive sector even beyond 2030 as well as knock-on effects across different industries arising from the technological and economic changes in the automotive market are projected.

What can we tell about the future of automobiles and the industries that make them by examining their past? Wormald and Rennick trace the history of powered land transport, the rise and fall of the railways, the spectacular rise of the automobile, and what might come next. Delving into the mighty and complex automotive industry, following the growth of the markets and production, this book illustrates the globalization of vehicle manufacturers and component suppliers, giving form to the development of the industry's business model. A key factor in an auto-industry's successes and failures is the often-difficult relationship it has with government, which varies in nature from country to country. As an illustrative case, Wormald and Rennick present and analyse the entire lifecycle of Australia's automotive history - including its birth, growth, functioning and death - and its shifting relationship with the government that supported it.

Classic superbikes are at the pinnacle of two-wheeled production engineering. Designed for adrenalin-inducing speed, breath-taking handling and head-turning good looks, these superb machines are the most glamorous and desirable bikes on the road. Classic Superbikes represents a fresh and informative approach to the subject. In handy pocket-sized form it chronicles 75 of the world's greatest machines, from the earliest superbikes such as the Honda CBX 1000 and Suzuki RG500, to the Yamaha YZF R-1 and Ducati 996 SPS. Each of the 75 bikes in the book is examined in great detail over four pages. Stunning cut-out photography from a variety of angles and detailed annotations describe the motorcycle's special features, while lively text explores the history of the bike and aspects of its design. For the real enthusiast there is a comprehensive specification box containing fact and figures, from engine size and tyre measurements to top speed, weight, power output and gearbox.