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A global road map for China’s automakers

June 2008

China’s carmakers have a great future on the world stage—but not in the immediate future.

Featured Automotive, Strategy & Analysis Article, Can North American auto suppliers create value?
Can North American auto suppliers create value?

June 2008

The automakers have vastly more power than the North American companies that supply them. To create value, the suppliers must redress the balance.

Featured Automotive, Strategy & Analysis Article, interview CIMC's president
A pioneer in Chinese globalization: An interview with CIMC's president

May 2008

A company that has already disrupted the container business is moving into transportation equipment and services.

The Archive

2008
Selling China's cars to the world: An interview with Chery's CEO

May 2008

Yin Tongyao explains how his fledgling automotive company learned to profit from adversity.

Business strategies for climate change

April 2008

Huge value is at stake. The winners will be companies that reposition themselves to seize the opportunities of a low-carbon future.

2007
How to build top-performing auto dealerships

June 2007

Automakers and dealers should learn to collaborate more. Both parties would benefit.

Leading change: An interview with the managing director of Tata Motors Premium Content

January 2007

Cost cutting was only the first step in transforming Tata Motors from a cyclical manufacturing company into a diversified powerhouse.

2006
How IT can drive business process reorganization: An interview with the CIO of Volkswagen

September 2006

Volkswagen chief information officer, Klaus Hardy Mühleck, has championed the CIO's role as the arbiter of business process and enablement.

Getting better software into manufactured products Premium Content

March 2006

The problems of embedded software are rooted in the legacies of hardware development.

2005
What's next for Tata Group: An interview with its chairman

November 2005

Ratan Tata explains how the company is expanding abroad while cultivating an emerging mass market at home.

Can US auto suppliers stay ahead of Chinese rivals?

September 2005

Chinese parts producers do have one advantage—cheap labor—but that isn’t the whole game.

When to make India a manufacturing base

September 2005

Multinational corporations are starting to see the country's potential.

Reducing waste in the auto industry Premium Content

June 2005

Carmakers and parts suppliers can capture huge savings, but only by working together more closely.

2004
Global sourcing in the auto industry

December 2004

Political sensitivities may slow the trend but won’t stop it in the longer run.

Supplying auto parts to the world Premium Content

December 2004

Lu Guanqiu, the founder of China’s third-largest private company, discusses the future of China’s automotive industry.

The right restructuring for US automotive suppliers Premium Content

October 2004

In the next round of consolidation, scale should be a result of strategy—not a strategy in its own right.

North American auto suppliers: Beyond the Big Three

August 2004

Pressure is growing on auto suppliers to diversify their customer base. Are they up to the task?

Shaping the future of China's auto industry Premium Content

August 2004

The government does have a role—to encourage, not to control.

A rocky road for European car parts makers

May 2004

Original-equipment suppliers should act now to mitigate the impact of new EU regulations for the automotive aftermarket.

Tough times for toolmakers Premium Content

May 2004

The developed world’s tool manufacturers, no longer able to consistently trump competitors in emerging markets on price or quality, face painful choices if they are to survive.

2003
Branding cars in China Premium Content

December 2003

For consumers in China, the meaning of a car’s brand can be as important as tangible performance characteristics, if not more so.

Turkey’s quest for stable growth Premium Content

December 2003

Turkey has come a long way, but the informal economy, macroeconomic and political instability, and state ownership continue to hold it back.

Better purchasing for auto suppliers Premium Content

August 2003

Auto suppliers understand exactly what steps to take to improve procurement but thus far haven’t executed them.

Detroit's new quality gap

February 2003

It isn’t enough to avoid defective products. Consumers now want cars to be ’fun.’

Lower repair costs for European auto insurers Premium Content

February 2003

Web-based systems and recent regulatory changes are helping insurers establish better—and cheaper—repair networks.

Making the most of US auto distribution

February 2003

US dealers and manufacturers can—and must—collaborate in their own self-interest.

Overhauling European auto distribution Premium Content

February 2003

Manufacturers in Europe have a choice of three strategic directions. What they have in common is a need to fix the way cars are sold.

2002
Tomorrow's cars, today's engines Premium Content

August 2002

That fabulous invalid the internal-combustion engine is very far from dead.

A road map for telematics

May 2002

Automakers betting on telematics face a highly uncertain market. They should focus on building great cars while choosing their telematics investments carefully.

A full-service truck stop Premium Content

February 2002

Despite record sales, truck makers underperformed most other sectors in total returns to shareholders. ‘Solutions’ could solve the problem.

A tune-up for China's auto industry

February 2002

Global carmakers could manage their costs and capital in China—and gain a strategic option for their global operations—by contracting out the manufacture of whole vehicles to Chinese companies.

Revving up auto branding

February 2002

Why do two almost identical cars experience radically different fates in the marketplace? Think brand equity.

2001
The false promise of mass customization Premium Content

August 2001

Build to order will be hugely expensive and challenging, and its benefits are uncertain. But there is a cheaper alternative.

The road ahead for telematics Premium Content

May 2001

The market for automotive telematics applications such as navigation and traffic information systems is likely to explode. Will the automakers again wind up providing the infrastructure that others exploit?

An outsider takes on Japan Premium Content

February 2001

Just a year after its biggest loss ever, Nissan Motors reported the largest net profit in its history. Read our interview with the man who led Nissan’s spectacular 19-month turnaround, Carlos Ghosn.

2000
The automotive industry: A 30,000-mile checkup Premium Content

February 2000

Several years ago, the authors advised automakers to start pursuing downstream revenues in service, parts, and ancillary products and to build brands that reach buyers on a more emotional level. How did that advice hold up?

1999
Telematics: Where the radio meets the road Premium Content

May 1999

Communications technology will almost certainly transform the auto industry—but how? Look to past technological revolutions for clues about the future.

1996
Are automobiles the next commodity? Premium Content

November 1996

Customers may be past caring about “things gone wrong.” Some OEMs are unclear about what their branch values are. To net revenues downstream, they will need to answer the old question, “What business are we in?”

Indian automotive components: The competitive realities Premium Content

February 1996

Triggered by market liberalizations, India’s automotive industry is accelerating fast. But the country’s automotive components industry may not be able to keep up with demand.

1995
Making purchasing look easy Premium Content

May 1995

The effectiveness of Honda’s purchasing is evident from its success in the highly competitive US market. That success is achieved by implementing a wide range of purchasing best practices.

1994
Don’t just optimize - unbundle Premium Content

August 1994

Improving the current automotive distribution system is no longer enough. The time has come to restructure it completely.

Does quality pay? Premium Content

February 1994

An empirical study of the automotive supplier industry in Europe and Japan uncovers wide differences in management practice—and in results.

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