The Japanese automotive industry enjoyed spectacular success in the 1980s. This was largely due to the so-called 'Lean Production System' - the combination of an efficient production system, an effective supplier system, and a product development system. In the 1990s the industry fell on hard times because of the Japanese asset price bubble and extreme currency appreciation. In this book, eminent industry specialist Koichi Shimokawa draws on his thirty years of research and fieldwork with Japanese and American firms, to show how the Japanese automotive industry has managed to recover from this difficult period. He shows how firms like Toyota were able to transfer Japanese systems to overseas plants and how they have changed in order to compete in increasingly globalized markets. In addition, the book also addresses the two major challenges to the current industry model: the rise of China and the environmental and energy supply situation.

Automotive textiles represent one of the most valuable international markets for technical textiles. Textile advances in the automotive industry provides an in-depth review of the design and development of automotive textiles and the recent advances made in technical textiles for a variety of automotive applications.Part one discusses issues such as automotive textile requirements from a car producer's perspective, mapping the automotive textile supply chain, advances in textile fabrics including nonwoven fabrics, and recycling issues. Part two focuses on automotive interiors with chapters on performance and style of interior textiles, materials and design for car seats, and the reduction of interior noise in vehicles. Part three discusses the important safety applications of automotive textiles, including airbags and tyres. Part four concludes by assessing how textiles can be used in automotive bodywork.With its distinguished editor and a team of contributors from both academia and industry, this book is an essential reference for a broad spectrum of readers, ranging from scientists, designers, product development staff to company strategists. - Provides an in-depth review of recent advances in the design and development of automotive textiles - Comprehensively examines the automotive textile industry covering key requirements, the supply chain, fabrics and recycling - Addresses important safety considerations in automotive textiles including airbags and tyres

This book chronicles the divergent growth trends in car production in Belgium and Spain. It delves into how European integration, high wages, and the demise of GM and Ford led to plant closings in Belgium. Next, it investigates how lower wages and the expansion strategies of Western European automakers stimulated expansion in the Spanish auto industry. Finally, it offers three alternate scenarios regarding how further EU expansion and Brexit may potentially reshape the geographic footprint of European car production over the next ten years. In sum, this book utilizes history to help expand the knowledge of scholars and policymakers regarding how European integration and Brexit may impact future auto industry investment for all EU nations.

Provides information on the truck and specialty vehicles business, including: automotive industry trends and market research; mergers, acquisitions, globalization; automobile manufacturers; truck makers; makers of specialty vehicles such as RVs; automobile loans, insurance and other financial services; dealerships; and, components manufacturers.

This book offers a comprehensive look at an industry that plays a growing role in motor vehicle production in the United States.

East Asia is a powerhouse of automobile production. Yet, across the region, national automobile industries have had strikingly different patterns of development. Despite starting from equally low levels of performance and initially similar strategies, countries have experienced vastly different results. From Thailand's success as an assembly hub for foreign automakers and China's unexpected achievements in building its own car industry, to South Korea's impressive development of an integrated industry, to the Philippines' persistent weakness, these divergent paths offer a fascinating window into the determinants of economic growth. The Political Economy of Automotive Industrialization in East Asia provides a political explanation for why development strategies and performance have been so uneven within one of the world's most important regions. Utilizing interviews and original-language research from multiple nations, this book explains that factors such as market size and neoclassical economic policies alone cannot explain these patterns of development. Richard F. Doner, Gregory W. Noble, and John Ravenhill instead highlight the significance of two sets of factors: countries' very different capabilities for implementing policies and the political forces that help to explain the emergence of effective institutions. Through cross-national analyses of China, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, the book sets up a clear structure for understanding industrial development and how it enables or constrains the capabilities of domestic firms. Brief comparisons with Brazil, Mexico, and other developing countries confirm the utility of the analytic framework and demonstrate how it is superior both to accounts in mainstream economics and much of political science, which fail to give sufficient emphasis to the role of public and public-private institutions, or provide an explanation of the political bases of those institutions. In a world where auto assemblers and suppliers are facing new challenges in an ever-evolving industry--such as the transition to electric and autonomous vehicles--this book offers a crucial perspective on the centrality of institutional capacities and political economy. By tracing the divergent trajectories of seven nations, The Political Economy of Automotive Industrialization in East Asia offers lessons beyond the automobile industry that illustrate the broader importance of institutions to economic growth.

The Mobilgas Economy Runs were annual competitions in which new American production automobiles vied not for speed, but for fuel economy--even as the industry was turning out bigger, more powerful cars year by year. This first complete history of the runs (including the predecessor Gilmore Economy Runs) follows each year's competitors day by day, covers some aspects not reported at the time and features a wealth of photographs. It includes coverage of the related Mobil Mileage Rally, held for imported cars from 1958 through 1961. Complete results for all of the competitions are provided in an appendix.

This book presents a comprehensive treatment of both functional and decorative textiles used in the automotive industry including seat covers, headliners, airbags, seat belts and tyres. Written in a clear, concise style it explains material properties and the way in which they influence manufacturing processes as well as providing practical production details.The subject treatment cuts across the disciplines of textile chemistry, fabric and plastics technology and production engineering. Environmental effects and recycling are also covered. It is aimed at the design and process engineer in industry as well as researchers in universities and colleges. Quality engineers will also benefit from the book's sections on identifying problems and material limitations.