The European Automotive Industry: Competitiveness, Challenges, and Future Strategies

Abstract

The chapter presents a broad picture of the European automotive industry and seeks to determine how competitive it is internationally and which are the sources of its competitiveness. Competitiveness is defined as the ability of an industrial sector to defend and/or gain market share in open, international markets by relying on price and/or the quality of goods. This ability is affected by a wide range of factors, including framework conditions ranging from production costs to technological and organisational innovation, from the regulatory framework to macroeconomic conditions. Given this variety, drawing a definitive conclusion about the future of the sector is not possible. Instead, a systematic analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) draws together the possible implications of the various elements identified in the Report as relevant to the competitiveness of the industry.

Keywords: industry report, automotove, Europe

JEL Classification: L