Publications
The Center for Automotive Research is involved in the research of significant issues that relate to the future direction of the global automotive industry. As a nonprofit research organization, and in cooperation with study funders, most CAR research is released publicly through this website.
Assessing the Cost & Benefit of Effective Lightweighting Technologies
This report examines why lightweighting may be a viable solution and examines the cost of lightweight automotive closures. This research analyzes the direct manufacturing cost by modeling the manufacturing processes of the door-in-white subsystem, including the inner and outer panels, hinge reinforcements, and intrusion beams, concluding with the joining of…
Crowdsourcing Transportation Systems Data
“Crowdsourcing” has been a topic of increasing interest in the popular press, but the concept is often ill-defined. Crowdsourcing involves leveraging the combined intelligence, knowledge, or experience of a group of people to answer a question, solve a problem, or manage a process. Due to ever-increasing connectivity and emerging data…
Connected vs. Automated Vehicles as Generators of Useful Data
This report summarizes the types of data that may be available from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) connected vehicle effort, as well as data from advanced automated vehicle systems. The USDOT connected vehicle program emphasizes the creation of transportation-related data that will be available and usable by public…
Management Procedures for Data Collected via ITS
This report is an extension and update of a previous report prepared by CAR, PB, and MDOT in September 2013 entitled Management Procedures for Data Collected via Intelligent Transportation Systems. The 2013 report provided an overview and broad discussions of National ITS Architecture and Standards, statewide transportation data management policies,…
Contribution of General Motors’ Manufacturing Plants to the Economies of Ten States and the United States in 2013 and 2014
General Motors’ U.S. manufacturing plants employed an estimated 51,600 direct hourly and salaried employees in 2014, which directly contributed to the creation of another 431,300 private sector jobs, $36.2 billion in annual compensation, and over $5.3 billion in personal tax revenues. In this report, the authors examine the economic contribution…
Assessment of Tax Revenue Generated by the Automotive Sector for the Year 2013
This CAR study demonstrates that the U.S. automotive sector has a large impact throughout the nation and provides support to state and federal governments in the form of taxes and fees collected from sales, employees, drivers, and the auto companies themselves. In 2013, the manufacture, sale, and use of motor…
Contribution of the Automotive Industry to the Economies of All Fifty States and the United States
Six years after the worst recession since the 1930s, the American economy is demonstrating many signs of strengthening, and the auto industry is helping drive that recovery. Despite recent economic hardships, auto manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers employ over 1.5 million people and directly contribute to the creation of another 5.7…
Accelerating the Growth of the U.S. Automotive Manufacturing Industry at Home, Rather than Abroad
This CAR research initiative examines the critical success factors necessary for continued global automotive investment growth within the southern U.S. automotive manufacturing region. The states funding the effort include Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee, which are referred to in this study as the Southern Automotive Research Alliance…
International Survey of Best Practices in Connected and Automated Vehicle Technologies – 2014 Update
Early research and deployment in connected and automated vehicle (CAV) systems can provide a variety of benefits. Such efforts are taking place throughout the world (especially in the United States, Europe, and Asia). This study highlights major CAV deployment efforts throughout the world and evaluates important factors for successful deployment….
ITS Data Ethics in the Public Sector
This report provides ethical decision-support for transportation professionals involved with Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) data. Ethical concerns regarding ITS usually focus on travelers’ right to privacy,and especially location privacy. This report establishes core principles of ethical behavior for government use of ITS data using the American lineage of political and…