It is a bedrock American belief: the 1950s were a golden age of prosperity for autoworkers. Flush with high wages and enjoying the benefits of generous union contracts, these workers became the backbone of a thriving blue-collar middle class. It is also a myth. Daniel J. Clark began by interviewing dozens of former autoworkers in the Detroit area and found a different story--one of economic insecurity caused by frequent layoffs, unrealized contract provisions, and indispensable second jobs. Disruption in Detroit is a vivid portrait of workers and an industry that experienced anything but stable prosperity. As Clark reveals, the myths--whether of rising incomes or hard-nosed union bargaining success--came later. In the 1950s, ordinary autoworkers, union leaders, and auto company executives recognized that although jobs in their industry paid high wages, they were far from steady and often impossible to find.

The automobile industry is evolving rapidly on a worldwide basis. All of the biggest, most successful firms have become totally global in nature. Plunkett's Automobile Industry Almanac will be your complete guide to this immense, fascinating industry. This exciting new book is a complete reference tool for everything you need to know about the car, truck and specialty vehicles business, including: Automotive industry trends and market research, mergers and acquisitions, globalization, automobile manufacturers, truck makers, specialty vehicles such as RVs, automobile finance and other financial services, dealerships, components manufacturers, retail auto parts stores, e-commerce and more. We discuss in detail developments in China, India and other emerging markets, collaboration and partnerships between auto makers, as well as batteries, hybrids and plug in hybrid vehicles (PHEV). This book includes extensive statistical tables, an automobile industry glossary, industry contacts and indexes. The corporate profile section of the book includes our proprietary, in-depth profiles of the 400 leading companies in all facets of the automobile industry. You'll find a complete overview, industry analysis and market research report in one superb, value-priced package.

The Standard Motor Company grew to be one of the biggest companies in Coventry and employed some 11,000 people at its height. Based at its huge factory at Canley, Coventry, it produced cars for sixty years. The purchase of the Triumph marque in 1945 added a second brand to the stable and all post-war Triumphs were designed, developed and built in Standard factories. This book covers the formative years of the company from 1903 to 1912 and describes the vintage Standards produced between 1913 and 1930, as well as the post-vintage and Flying Standards of 1931-1939. The author discusses the acquisition of Triumph and covers the post-war Standards and Triumphs produced between 1945 and 1961 as well as the Leyland takeover and the company demise. This concise introduction includes descriptions of the cars built by Standard, and includes a fascinating variety photographs of surviving cars, period factory photos and brochure material.

Since the early seventies, the development of the automobile has been characterized by a steady increase in the deployment of onboard electronics systems and software. This trend continues unabated and is driven by rising end-user demands and increasingly stringent environmental requirements. Today, almost every function onboard the modern vehicle is electronically controlled or monitored. The software-based implementation of vehicle functions provides for unparalleled freedoms of concept and design. However, automobile development calls for the accommodation of contrasting prerequisites - such as higher demands on safety and reliability vs. lower cost ceilings, longer product life cycles vs. shorter development times - along with growling proliferation of model variants. Automotive Software Engineering has established its position at the center of these seemingly conflicting opposites. This book provides background basics as well as numerous suggestions, rare insights, and cases in point concerning those processes, methods, and tools that contribute to the surefooted mastery of the use of electronic systems and software in the contemporary automobile.

Carla Bailo, CEO of the Center for Automotive Research, and Terry Barclay, CEO of Inforum, bring together over 30 of the most influential women in the automotive industry to share their insight and advice. From suppliers to OEMs, they hail from every corner of the industry.Readers will learn how to take charge of their own careers by understanding the experiences these professionals. Topics include:Work-Life Integration – How can you be whole at home, at work, and in the community?Education and Lifelong Learning – Do you really need a graduate degree?Mentor and Sponsor Relationships – How do you find mentors and sponsors and form productive relationships with them?Career Challenges – How do you evaluate when to take career risks? How do you say yes when all the boxes aren’t checked? Resilience – Where do you find the internal fortitude to keep going? Personal Satisfaction – What do these leaders find most joyful about their careers? The Road to the Top is Not on the Map features female leaders who candidly share the habits, motivations, triumphs, defeats, and lessons learned that helped them achieve top jobs in the industry. Their insights have relevance for women at all stages in their careers, whether its young women interested in pursuing a career in the auto industry, those looking for their next strategic move, or those seeking insight and inspiration.

A firsthand look at how Mercedes-Benz transformed itself into a best-in-class, customer-obsessed organization. Driven to Delight offers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at CEO Steve Cannon and his leadership team's ambitious, multi-pronged strategy to elevate the company's customer experience to best-in-class across all brands and industries. The author reveals how leaders within the organization drove the transformation of the operational and cultural environments at Mercedes-Benz through their strategic vision, Driven to Delight. Nowhere else can you find this in-depth, all-access look at senior leadership's vision, strategy, and tactical steps to create and sustain the wide-sweeping actions needed to deliver a customer experience that lives up to the company's brand promise, "the best or nothing."