Publications
Independent Automotive Research & Industry Insights
The Center for Automotive Research (CAR) delivers independent, data-driven research and analysis to inform industry leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders navigating the evolving automotive landscape. Our research examines the economic, technological, manufacturing, and policy developments shaping the future of North America’s automotive industry.
From automotive trade policy, supply chains, and economic trends to advanced manufacturing, electrification, workforce development, and emerging technologies, CAR’s publications provide credible insights and informed perspectives on the industry’s most pressing challenges and opportunities.
Explore our library of automotive research reports, white papers, economic analyses, and industry studies to better understand the forces shaping automotive competitiveness, innovation, and the future of mobility. A lot of CAR’s research is publicly available, reflecting our commitment to advancing industry knowledge and informed decision-making.
Explore CAR Research Publications
Browse our latest research or search the collection to find analysis on the automotive industry topics most relevant to your organization.
Contribution of a Vehicle Infrastructure Integration System to the Economy of Michigan: Economic and Industrial Impacts Update and Benefit-Cost Analysis
Vehicle infrastructure integration (VII) consists of applying both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication to the tasks of improving safety, enhancing mobility and improving quality of life.
Line of Business Strategy for Vehicle-Infrastructure Integration – Part I: Strategic and Business Plan – Vision of Partnership and National Leadership
Part I of the Line of Business Strategy for Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) provides an executive summary and high-level overview of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) VII strategy in terms of mission, vision, and customer/partner needs and goals
Beyond the Big Leave: The Future of U.S. Automotive Human Resources
Michigan’s current automotive labor challenge and opportunity is the subject of this study, the first automotive labor market report produced by CAR’s Program for Automotive Labor and Education (PALE).
Contribution of Toyota Motor North America to the Economies of Sixteen State and the United States in 2006
In 1957, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc. set up a small dealership in Hollywood, California. By 1975, Toyota became the bestselling import brand in the United States. In 1986, Toyota began manufacturing operations in the United States with General Motors at a joint-venture manufacturing facility in Fremont, California. In 2003,…
The Strategic Value of Information in the RFQ Response Process
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.
How Automakers Plan Their Products: A Primer for Policymakers on Automotive Industry Business Planning
A great deal of public discussion has focused on petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. An inevitable response has been to call upon automakers to produce higher-mileage vehicles. Many policymakers have suggested regulations to spur more fuel efficient designs. But little effort has been made to explain to…
Contribution of the Motor Vehicle Supplier Sector to the Economies of the United States and Its 50 States
This report, undertaken at the request of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), will provide an estimation and analysis of the employment and economic contribution of the supplier-related jobs in all of the fifty states and the District of Columbia.
Innovate or Die
The new business forces acting on the industry are challenging traditional beliefs, and only those capable of adaption will survive.
Vehicle Technology Trends in Electronics for the North American Market; Opportunities for the Taiwanese Automotive Industry
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…
Copper in End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling
The following report describes the current state of the art in vehicle recycling by focusing on operations that affect the recycling of copper. For this purpose, selected dismantlers and shredding companies were visited and representatives from industry organizations were interviewed. Selected OEMs have also been interviewed to better understand the…