Jun 1, 2011
This study conducted by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) estimates the likely parameters of the U.S. motor vehicle market and industry in 2025. The first section discusses a general outlook for the U.S. motor vehicle market in the year 2025 based on long term social and economic factors. The second section of this study discusses the likely costs of higher fuel economy mandates to the American consumer of new light vehicles in 2025, in light of what is known by CAR regarding the potential for realistic technologies and their likely net costs to the consumer. This section also proposes four likely scenarios for fuel economy standards by 2025 (compared to 2009) and the types of fuel economy technologies that will be employed to meet those standards. The third section of this study analyzes how the impact of higher fuel economy costs, and likely costs of other federal mandates such as required safety features, will affect the U.S. motor vehicle market, production, and automotive manufacturing employment in the year 2025
Aug 1, 2009
The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) have engaged in a multi-phased project to create business strategy guideposts for SEMA members.
Oct 1, 2008
The automotive industry has undergone a transformational evolution over the last two decades. Compared to just 20 years ago, the industry is now building different, more complex products and using changing corporate structure to deliver more content to consumers while actually decreasing prices. The increases in efficiency necessary to accomplish these changes have come about as a result of painful structural change that has significantly increased collaboration between automakers and suppliers. The industry is therefore functioning under a different operational structure for which the business practices and corporate departments of both automakers and suppliers were not conceived. To take maximum advantage of the benefits offered by collaboration, and to advance the implementation of collaborative business practices even further in the future, automotive manufacturers and suppliers need to structure their companies in a way that will maximize collaboration while freeing employees and departments to do the tasks for which they are most appropriate.
Sep 1, 2008
The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) have engaged in a multi-phased project to create business strategy guideposts for SEMA members. The first report in the program—The Specialty Equipment Company of the Future: Guideposts for Technology Forecasting and Strategic Planning—identifies strategic challenges for SEMA and its member companies in the mid-term (3-7 years). The information presented is based on a series of interviews with thought leaders from vehicle manufacturers (VMs), original equipment (OE) parts suppliers, specialty equipment (SE) suppliers, and other auto industry stakeholders. These interviews were supported by literature reviews and other data gathering techniques.
Aug 1, 2007
The gestation of a new component made by an automotive supplier typically begins with a Request For Quotation (RFQ) being issued by the supplier’s customer, the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). The supplier typically has about two weeks to submit its response.
Jan 1, 2007
The new business forces acting on the industry are challenging traditional beliefs, and only those capable of adaption will survive.
Dec 1, 2006
The purpose of this study is to conduct a preliminary investigation into the future business potential for automotive electronics, particularly for general Taiwanese companies. Although many Taiwanese companies are targeting China as a growth opportunity, our preliminary investigation was based on North America with the understanding that a more targeted investigation for China could be a future investigation. We recognized that the North American perspective would provide significant input, even to the Chinese market, because many of the auto companies and supplier’s practices and projections are easy to generalize from since they are global.
Jan 1, 2006
Automotive companies are trying to buy their tools, dies, and molds (TDM) at the lowest possible price. With the recent emergence of tooling capacity in “low-cost countries” (LCCs), that low price is getting even lower. Domestic TDM sources are being pressed to meet the “world price” for tools or risk losing their bids to suppliers who can provide TDM at this lower price. This paper examines how this new environment affects domestic TDM builders. This paper is the result of a nine-month study made possible by the generous support of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
