Futures of Automobile Industry: Which is its Importance for the Definition of Product, Production Models and Mobility Strategies? (Futuros Da Indústria Automóvel: Qual a Sua Importância Para a Definição Do Produto, Modelos De Produção E Estratégias De Mobilidade?)

Abstract

Some programs and research networks are dealing with topics associated to the automtive sector and they observe one of the most significative sectores of modern economies. Because of that is so interesting to forecast some possible changes in an horizon of 10 to 20 years. But this exercse must not be centred only on technical aspects of automobile construction, or on the design, or even on the mobility systems. How one can face these problems, and how it can be so decisivelly important, is what we will try to answer in this paper that resumes some of the debates on the foresight exercises in Germany (Futur) and on the automotive sector in Portugal (WorTiS).

Keywords: Portugal, automotive industry, foresight, forecasting, mobility, assembly line, design

JEL Classification: C92, E27, F23, L14, L22, L62