The three major uncertainties facing the European automotive industry

Vincent Frigant (1)

1 GREThA - Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée

The European automotive industry has once again entered aperiod of uproar. The crisis of 2008/2009 is far from overbut probably marks the start of a new era that someobservers are starting to refer to as the secondautomobile revolution. In this article -and more broadlythroughout this special issue of the ERIEP, for which isserves as an introduction- we will be trying to emphasizethree major uncertainties that weigh upon the Europeanautomotive industry. The first relates to the futureproducts that the sector is looking to manufacture andsell. This will involve questions about electric vehiclesbut also how internal combustion vehicles might be sold tomore tone-deaf European consumers. The second section willrevisit the outsourcing strategies that have arisen overthe past 30 years, together with their increasinglyobvious limitations. The final section will highlight theprofound geographic recomposition that has taken placeunder our eyes over the past decade or so, and whichspeaks directly to the issue of Old Europe’s productivecapacities in the future.

Mots clés: Automobile; Electric Vehicles; Industrial Architecture; Carmakers; Industrial Geography; First Tier Suppliers

Domaines: Economies et finances

Vincent Frigant. The three major uncertainties facing the European automotive industry. European Review of Industrial Economics and Policy , 2011, 3. ⟨hal-03469092⟩