The history of the automobile industry, though brief compared with that of many other industries, has exceptional interest because of its effects on 20th-century history. Although Europe had shared in the experimentation, the American role was emphasized in the popular description of standardization and interchangeability as the American system of manufacture.” The fundamental techniques were known, but they had not previously been applied to the manufacture of a mechanism as complex as a motor vehicle (see work, history of the organization of ).
Traditional automotive players that are under continuous pressure to reduce costs, improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, and become more capital-efficient will feel the squeeze, likely leading to shifting market positions in the evolving automotive and mobility industries, potentially leading to consolidation or new forms of partnerships among incumbent players.
Thanks to an abundant skilled workforce, best-in-class cooperative training and an extremely business-friendly economic climate, Alabama has since become home to three more plants and a burgeoning automotive industry that produced $7 billion worth of vehicles and $1.2 billion in parts for export last year.
One of these is the Bavaria-wide Automotive cluster , whose aims include increasing transparency in the existing competences in business and science with relevance for the automotive industry, increasing value creation, a cross-sector exchange of information and experience, and interdisciplinary networking.
Before prolific AVs become a reality, industry players must make huge investments in meeting tightened mpg and emissions requirements, developing new powertrains, continuing to expand in markets around the world, and developing new vehicles to feed changing transportation needs.