The globalization of the motor vehicle industry--specifically, cars and light trucks--has engendered new forms of competition and cooperation with less regard for national boundaries than ever before. The DaimlerChrysler merger, the GM-Toyota joint venture, the Renault equity stake in Nissan, the Ford takeover of Mazda, Jaguar, and Volvo cars, and direct foreign investments in Mexico, Mercosur (Mercado Com DEGREESD'un del Sur), China, and India--developments like these are almost impossible to keep up with. Hiraoka, a prize-winning analyst of manufacturing excellence in the automotive industry, surveys them and their causes and presents a clarifying picture with thoroughness and depth.

Hiraoka's explanation of the various factors contributing to globalization of the motor vehicle industry provides the background information necessary to gain perspective on recent events. These developments include e-commerce networks, alliances with local and far-flung parts suppliers, low-cost mass production and distribution systems, the launching of hybrid products in mature economies, and the buildup of capacity in emerging markets. His analysis ranges widely, delving into managerial reactions to regional free-trade blocks, currency crises, government shifts away from central planning and trade protectionism, the vicissitudes of business cycles in emerging markets, and the juxtaposition of Japan's prolonged recession and the booming American motor vehicle market. Corporate decision-makers, labor leaders, policy analysts, researchers, students, and industry observers will benefit from understanding the global characteristics of today's motor vehicle industry.

The Wall Street Journal christened the deal "the biggest industrial merger of all time." The marriage of Daimler and Chrysler promised to rock the global auto industry and draw up a blueprint for international consolidation on an epic scale. But the union of Chrysler, the blue-collar maker of Jeeps and minivans, with Daimler, the crown jewel of German industry, didn't turn out to be a merger made in heaven. When the dust settled, Daimler had bought Chrysler, and the shock waves reverberated on both sides of the Atlantic. An American icon lost its independence, and a German giant grew in power and influence. The DaimlerChrysler deal brought together two automotive superpowers and triggered a chain reaction among competitors seeking partners around the world. In a gripping narrative ripped from the from the daily headlines, Bill Vlasic and Bradley A. Stertz of the Detroit News go behind the scenes of the defining corporate drama of the decade. With groundbreaking reporting, they reveal the untold story behind the unsuccessful attempt to take over Chrysler by its biggest shareholder, the reclusive billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, and its legendary retired CEO, Lee Iacocca. Their startling grab for the smallest of Detroit's Big Three automakers sparked secret talks between Chrysler and Daimler on a massive joint venture. The first deal collapsed, but it set the stage for the final, intense negotiations between Chrysler chairman Robert Eaton and Daimler chairman Jurgen Schrempp. It was hailed as a historic "merger of equals," but the euphoria evaporated amid a clash of cultures, identities, and personalities. The action moves feverishly around the world with larger-than-life characters in the high-stakes arena of international automaking. Taken for a Ride follows the twists and turns in the road to DaimlerChrysler and, in the end, emerges as a cautionary tale of the risks and rewards of going global.

How small autoparts suppliers helped shape Brazil's massive auto industry.

The Brazilian auto industry has been a symbol of industrialization not only in that country but in Latin America in general. Although small autoparts suppliers have seldom been credited with a role in its success, Caren Addis now reveals how they participated in setting up the industry and creating a Brazilian export behemoth.

Taking the Wheel challenges traditional accounts emphasizing state-led development in Brazil by crediting the role of small companies. It tells how autoparts suppliers, working with state officials, were instrumental in shaping legislation, policies, and industrial practices from the 1950s to the present and how this alliance resulted in protectionist policies and legislation that helped form cooperative relationships between assembly operations and suppliers.

Highlighting the key role of parts firms in encouraging a "horizontal vision" of the industry, Addis reveals how common terminology -- "mass production" -- helped unite government and industry around a shared goal even though genuine mass production is not employed. She documents the hybrid form of organization that combines features of mass production and flexible production, tells how suppliers adapted to changing political and economic conditions, and shows how the most successful suppliers were able to organize into cartels to maintain leverage over assemblers.

This book demonstrates that there are important differences between how industry is thought to function and how it actually does -- and that industrialization in Brazil is a constant process of negotiation among different kinds of firms and state officials. Itredefines the study of industrialization in the automotive sector and makes a new contribution to development theory.

A fascinating and well-researched look at the British motor industry which will appeal to both academic readers and practitioners alike. Why are there now no major car manufacturers in Britain? Whisler considers this and the surrounding issues, making valuable comparisons with overseas manufacturers operating both in the UK and abroad, which provide us with additional interest and insight. Based upon careful use of company archives, this book covers in particular the issues of product development, quality, design, and range, ensuring that The British Motor Industry is destined to make a distinctive contribution to our understanding of the performance of UK manufacturers.

This comprehensive chronology of the automobile covers its engineering as well as the social, cultural, and political impact of the car from the invention of the wheel to the O.J. Simpson car chase. It examines the auto industry, the road and roadside, the car in popular culture, gasoline/fuel history, the spatial transformation of cities, air pollution, critics of car culture, traffic accidents, the globalization of car culture, and much more. This is a reference guide for students and scholars of transportation history as well as anyone who has ever asked When did Japan export the first car to the U.S.? or When and how was smog discovered? or What make of car did Chuck Berry drive?

"This book has two main strengths. First, its approach gives a sense of the texture and variety of the implementation of lean production, the forces that shape it in practice, and the alternatives that may be available. Second, the book's international focus provides a wealth of fascinating material concerning the influence of national conditions on the shaping of production practices." Harley Shaiken, author of Work Transformed: Automation and Labor in the Computer AgeNearly every country that produces cars views the automobile industry as strategically important because of its direct economic significance and because it serves as a bellwether for innovation in employment conditions. In this book, industrial relations experts from eleven countries consider the state of the industry worldwide. They are particularly interested in assessing whether the loudly heralded model of lean production initiated by Toyota has become pervasive.The contributors focus on employment practices: the way work is organized, how workers and managers interact, the way worker representatives respond to lean production strategies, and the nature of the adaptation and innovation process itself."

No other American car carries the mystique of the Corvette, and early in 1997, General Motors unveiled the stunning fifth-generation Corvette to universal acclaim. But GM's triumph was hard-won -- the legendary sports car had nearly fallen victim to internal company politics and a squeeze on profits. In this candid and compelling book, journalist James Schefter reveals the inside story of the people who saved and reinvented the Corvette, from the drawing board to the assembly line.

For eight years, Schefter enjoyed unprecedented access to every part of GM, including areas off-limits to many company vice presidents. A true insider, he observed the new Corvette's odyssey from sketch to clay model to prototype to production vehicle. He accompanied test drivers across scorching deserts and snow-packed mountains. And he came to know the fiercely dedicated team of designers, engineers, and executives who fought and achieved their dream: a new Corvette that is better conceived, better built, and less expensive than its predecessors. The Corvette's odyssey to reclaim its glory is a thrilling testament to the endurance of American spirit.

In Comeback, Pulitzer Prize-winners Paul Ingrassia and Joseph B. White take us to the boardrooms, the executive offices, and the shop floors of the auto business to reconstruct, in riveting detail, how America's premier industry stumbled, fell, and picked itself up again. The story begins in 1982, when Honda started building cars in Marysville, Ohio, and the entire U.S. car industry seemed to be on the brink of extinction. It ends just over a decade later, with a remarkable turn of the tables, as Japan's car industry falters and America's Big Three emerge as formidable global competitors.

Comeback is a story propelled by larger-than-life characters -- Lee Iacocca, Henry Ford II, Don Petersen, Roger Smith, among many others -- and their greed, pride, and sheer refusal to face facts. But it is also a story full of dedicated, unlikely heroes who struggled to make the Big Three change before it was too late.

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.

Yang analyzes the impact of globalization on national economic boundaries, using the automobile industry to contrast three different economic systems. Corporations emerge as new players in international relations. Their corporate policies and manufacturer-supplier linkages influence the international division of labor among modern nations. Their competitive strategy affects the ability of governments to regulate national economies. Scholars in international, regional, and developmental economics will find this work provides interesting material on global competition.

Are state and local economic incentives to attract new firms worthwhile? Mitsubishi Motors in Illinois provides in-depth analysis of the incentives offered to land Diamond-Star Motors, the plant's labor force, supplier organization, and its community impact to answer this question. The authors conclude with a benefit-cost analysis of the incentive package at the community and at the state level. Written in nontechnical language, the book is intended for planners and administrators in state and local government, economic and business development officers, and international corporate management, as well as economists and public policy analysts.

Although much research has been compiled separately on the various issues surrounding the establishment of Japanese auto manufacturing plants in the United States, this work is unique for its direct surveys of workers, suppliers, members of the community, and city and state leaders involved in the negotiations. Data on the local housing impact are drawn from detailed examination of loan applications in the community during the major hiring period at the plant. While some results confirm previous work, the authors find many differences, particularly in the composition of the labor force and the effect of just-in-time production methods on supplier location. The book provides a comprehensive view of the community and regional impact of a Japanese auto manufacturing plant which can be used as a model for planning economic development strategies to attract new firms to states and communities. Written in nontechnical language, the book is intended for planners and administrators in state and local government, economic and business development officers, and international corporate management, as well as economists and public policy analysts.

Cordoba is Argentina's second-largest city, a university town that became the center of its automobile industry. In the decade following the overthrow of Juan Peron's government in 1955, the city experienced rapid industrial growth. The arrival of IKA-Renault and Fiat fostered a particular kind of industrial development and created a new industrial worker of predominantly rural origins. Former farm boys and small-town dwellers were thrust suddenly into the world of the modern factory and the multinational corporation. The domination of the local economy by a single industry and the prominent role played by the automobile workers' unions brought about the greatest working-class protest in postwar Latin American history, the 1969 Cordobazo. Following the Cordobazo, the local labor movement was one characterized by intense militancy and determined opposition to both authoritarian military governments and the Peronist trade union bureaucracy. These labor wars have been mythologized as a Latin American equivalent to the French student strikes of May-June 1968 and the Italian "hot summer" of the same period. Analyzing these events in the context of recent debates on Latin American working-class politics, Brennan demonstrates that the pronounced militancy and even political radicalism of the Cordoban working class were due not only to Argentina's changing political culture but also to the dynamic relationship between the factory and society during those years. Brennan draws on corporate archives in Argentina, France, and Italy, as well as previously unknown union archives. Readers interested in Latin American studies, labor history, industrial relations, political science, industrialsociology, and international business will all find value in this important analysis of labor politics.

In less than 30 years, the Japanese automobile industry has risen from obscurity to become the world's leading automobile producer. This bibliography, which lists over 600 English-language titles, focuses on the Japanese automobile industry and its development in the postwar era, especially the period of mass expansion from 1980 to the present. It touches particularly on topics pertaining to the Japanese automobile industry as it relates to the U.S. automobile industry, including the operation of the two industries, Japanese transplants in the United States, and government trade issues. It also features case studies of major Japanese automobile manufacturers. Coverage includes books, articles, conference papers, periodicals, government documents, and audio-visual materials. Entries are fully annotated, and the work is indexed.

The success of the Japanese automobile industry has been attributed to the concept of lean production, whereby competitive advantage is secured through combining industrial volume with skilled finishing. Against this background, European manufacturers have been combining resources to safeguard a key industry in the future economic development of Europe. This text brings together specialists from industry (both labour and management) and from the academic world to offer solutions to these challenges by way of practical improvement to vocational qualification schemes. It presents a united educational policy framework for all European motor manufacturers.

For three years, journalists Joseph and Suzy Fucini closely observed the interactions between American managers and workers and their top Japanese bosses at a new state-of-the-art Mazda auto plant in Michigan. They found that for all its strengths, the team system requires sacrifice of individual interests to the good of the group, and that no matter how hard an individual tries to become Japanese, advancement, for both managers and workers alike, will be limited by the fact that they are not Japanese.

This book explores the business history of three major independent American automakers - Nash Motor Company, the Hudson Motor Car Company, and the American Motors Company - that faced fierce competition from the 'Big Three'. With roots extending back to the first decade of the twentieth century, Nash Motor Company and the Hudson Motor Car Company managed to compete and even prosper as independent producers until they merged in 1954 to form the American Motors Company, which itself remained independent until it was bought in 1987 by the Chrysler Corporation. In "Storied Independent Automakers", renowned automotive scholar Charles K. Hyde argues that these companies, while so far neglected by auto history scholars, made notable contributions to automotive engineering and styling and were an important part of the American automobile industry. Hyde investigates how the relatively small corporations struggled in a postwar marketplace increasingly dominated by the giant firms of Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler, which benefited from economies of scale in styling, engineering, tooling, marketing, and sales. He examines the innovations that kept the independents' products distinctive from those of the Big Three and allowed them to survive and sometimes prosper against their larger competitors. Hyde also focuses on the visionary leaders who managed the companies, including Charles Nash, Roy D. Chapin, Howard Coffin, George Mason, George Romney, and Roy D. Chapin Jr., who have been largely unexamined by other scholars. Finally, Hyde analyzes the ultimate failure of the American Motors Company and the legacy it left for carmakers and consumers today. "Storied Independent Automakers" is based on extensive research in archival collections generated by the three companies. Residing in large part in the DaimlerChrysler Corporate Collection, these sources have been seldom tapped by other scholars before this volume. Auto historians and readers interested in business history will enjoy "Storied Independent Automakers".

Toyota rose from the ashes of World War II to become, just fifty years later, one of the dominant automakers in the world. How did Toyota do it? How did it go from making cars that Westerners pointed to and laughed at to making cars, like the Lexus, that people now lust after? That's what this book is all about. As veteran writer K. Dennis Chambers shows, Toyota, crazy like a fox, had a long-term plan to become a top-tier player in the auto industry. Through patience, persistence, and a willingness to dream of a different future as well as to look back to the past for ideas, Toyota has succeeded step by step. Yes, Toyota is unique. From peddling ugly 3-cylinder cars to working with quality guru W. Edwards Deming (when his U.S. countrymen thought him a crank) to totally revamping production processes, Toyota has never been afraid to chart its own path. Readers will learn what makes Toyota tick through Chambers's penetrating text, which: -Explains the importance of the company and the essential "disruptions" that changed business forever. (Think Prius.) -Details Toyota's origins and history. -Presents biographies of the founders and the historical context in which they launched the company. -Explains Toyota's strategies and innovations. -Assesses Toyota's impact on society, technology, processes, methods, etc. -Shows how Toyota beat the competition and wormed its way into the U.S. and European markets. -Details financial results. In addition, Chambers offers special features that include a look at the colorful people associated with Toyota, interesting trivia, a Toyota time line, a focus on products, a look at how the company treats and trains its workers, and where the company is headed.Toyota--a company that changed, and is changing, the world.

This book seeks to make an original contribution to the knowledge base underpinning ultrasonic metal welding (USMW), particularly for the manufacturing of lithium-ion (li-ion) battery cells, modules, and packs as used in electric vehicles. The contributors to the book represent a team of leading experts in the field. Since its commercialization in the early 1990s, the lithium-ion (li-ion) battery has seen rapid growth due to its advantages of high voltage and high power/energy density. The growth has become particularly strong during the past decade with the development of li-ion battery powered electric vehicles. The book focuses mainly on two-layer and multi-layer aluminum (with and without anodizing) and copper (with and without nickel coating) welding configurations. Thus, its value to the practitioners in li-ion batteries and battery electric vehicles is self-evident. The theories and methods presented in the book are highly transferable and extendable to all other li-ion battery applications, and can be of significant values to battery manufacturers and the electric vehicle industry in general. Furthermore, the new knowledge generated can drive the development of such innovative technologies as single-sided USMW, and thermally enhanced USMW for multiple layers of thick-sheets and hard-to-weld materials. It is expected that the book may have even broader implications in understanding and developing more effective solid state joining processes such as cladding, impact welding, friction stir welding, and ultrasonic consolidations for additive manufacturing, which are all strongly governed by the similar solid-state physics.

Take a drive down memory lane with this rare collection of gasoline station photographs from both public and private collections, touring a much simpler time in American history. Since its inception in the early 1900s, the service station has been an icon of the American roadside and a catalyst of our childhood memories. Included is a brief history of the development of the gasoline station in the United States and details about many of the companies which punctuated the roadsides with their buildings, including the Standard companies, Cities, Mobil, Phillips, Gulf, Shell, Texaco, and Conoco. Filled with over 500 black and white photos, Roadside Memories captures the essence of American life over the first seventy years of this century. Captions provide station location and era identification. These nostalgic photos aid both the collector and historian interested filling up on high-grade service station pumps, classic advertising, architecture, and classic automobiles of the 1920s-70s.

In the 1960s the Cortina was an entirely new type of British car - light yet strong, cheap to buy, and yet roomy. It established a new class of car - the 'Cortina Class' - and Ford's rivals had to rush to compete. Not only was the Cortina the first, it was the best, too; a fascinating, ever-evolving project, around which Ford-Europe's planning always revolved. This book gives all the facts, figures, images and legends of the Cortina story. With over 180 colour and black and white photos this is the fascinating story of an incredibly successful car.

Autonomous State provides the first detailed examination of the Canadian auto industry, the country's most important economic sector, in the post-war period. In this engrossing book, Dimitry Anastakis chronicles the industry's evolution from the 1973 OPEC embargo to the 1989 Canada-US Free Trade Agreement and looks at its effects on public policy, diplomacy, business enterprise, workers, consumers, and firms.

Using an immense array of archival sources, and interviews with some of the key actors in the events, Anastakis examines a fascinating array of topics in recent auto industry and Canadian business and economic history: the impact of new safety, emissions, and fuel economy regulations on the Canadian sector and consumers, the first Chrysler bailout of 1980, the curious life and death of the 1965 Canada-US auto pact, the 'invasion' of Japanese imports and transplant operations, and the end of aggressive auto policy-making with the coming of free trade.

More than just an examination of the auto industry, the book provides a rethinking of Canada's tumultuous post-OPEC political and economic evolution, helping to explain the current tribulations of the global auto sector and Canada's place within it.

Velocity Overdrive: The Road To Reinvention is the third book from entrepreneur and former dealer Dale Pollak s Velocity series. In his prior books, Velocity: From the Front Line to the Bottom Line and Velocity 2.0: Paint, Pixels & Profitability, Pollak introduced the Velocity Method of Inventory ManagementTM and the application of market-based metrics for improving the performance of used vehicle departments. Velocity Overdrive shifts the discussion of velocity principles and metrics to the next level. Across North America, dealers are no longer assured of profitability and prosperity. Today s environment is defined by increased competition, a greater degree of market volatility, ongoing margin compression and fast-changing consumer expectations. Velocity Overdrive reveals the journey many dealers have undertaken to reinvent their businesses and compete effectively in this more challenging retail marketplace. The book details the velocity-driven road to reinvention that begins in used vehicles and extends to other dealership departments. This is a transformative time for the car business, Pollak says. Velocity Overdrive is intended to help dealers transition to more efficient and effective operations that maximize the return on investment (ROI) and profitability they expect from their stores.