In 2008, the worldwide automotive industry produced over 70 million vehicles, employed over nine million people, and represented ‘over 5% of the world's total manufacturing employment'. [Note 1]
Motor vehicles are produced in over 39 countries worldwide. The top four automotive manufacturing countries in 2008 were: Japan, China, the United States, and Germany. [Note 2]
In 2008, global vehicle registrations reached nearly 901 million vehicles. The largest regional market is Europe (35.4 percent), followed by North America (32.6 percent), Asia (23.8 percent), South America (4.6 percent) the Middle East and Africa (3.6 percent). [Note 3] The fastest growing markets for automobiles are China, India, Russia and Brazil.
The Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles (aka The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers) or OICA, estimates that ‘each direct auto job supports at least another 5 indirect jobs in the community, resulting in more than 50 million jobs owed to the auto industry'. [Note 4] Industries involved in the automotive supply chain include: steel, iron, aluminum, lead, glass, plastics, carpeting, textiles, computer chips, software, rubber and more.
Automotive Industry ... Automobile Industry... Motor Vehicle Industry...
Which term should you use when researching the industry? Actually, all of the above, plus a few more. In a broad sense, the automotive industry includes:
Manufacturers of motorcycles, passenger cars, light and heavy duty trucks, commercial vehicles. The major Automotive manufactures (ranked by OICA) include: Toyota, General Motors, Porsche, Ford, Honda, Nissan, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Hyundai, Suzuki, Fiat, Renault, Daimler, Chrysler, BMW, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, AutoVAZ, and Tata. [Note 5] Interrelationships between the automotive manufacturers are complex. A good aid to understanding these relationships is a chart produced by Automotive News: Guide to Automaker Partnerships. [Note 6]
Suppliers of automotive (i.e. motor vehicle) parts and components. Automotive suppliers are often involved in both the OE (Original Equipment) market and the Automotive Aftermarket. The top Global Automotive suppliers include: Robert Bosch, Denso, Continental A.G. , Magna International, Aisin Seiki, Johnson Controls, Delphi, Faurecia, ZF Friedrichshafen, TRW Automotive, Lear, Toyota Boshoku, ThyssenKrupp, Yazaki, Valeo, Benteler, Sumitomo Electric, Visteon, Hyundai Mobis, Dana, Schaeffler, JTEKT, Magneti Marelli, ArvinMeritor, and Cummins. [Note 7]
Sales and distribution of motor vehicles.
The key to researching the automotive industry is understanding that each source of information defines the industry in a slightly different fashion. Industry definitions can include/exclude the manufacture of heavy duty/commercial vehicles and automotive parts/components.
Examples of Various Industry Definitions
Automotive Industry
'All those companies and activities involved in the manufacture of motor vehicles, including most components, such as engines and bodies, but excluding tires, batteries, and fuel. The industry's principal products are passenger automobiles and light trucks, including pickups, vans, and sport utility vehicles. Commercial vehicles (i.e. delivery trucks and large transport trucks, often called semis), though important to the industry, are secondary'.
Encyclopedia Britannica
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells the world's motor vehicles.
Wikipedia
Automobile Industry
Manufacture and sales of passenger cars, motorcycles and light commercial vehicles
Manufacturers of cars, commercial vehicles and parts.
OICA
Auto Parts Manufacturing Industry
Companies that manufacture and/or distribute original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and/or aftermarket automotive components and/or accessories.
Hoovers
Automotive Components Industry
Automotive parts, tires and rubber products
Datamonitor
Automotive Aftermarket
'Products used to replace, maintain, or accessorize original equipment (OE) on all passenger and light truck vehicles, including minivans and sport utility vehicles (SUVs).'
Packaged Facts
'All products and services purchased for light and heavy duty vehicles after the original sale including replacement parts, accessories, lubricants, appearance products, service repairs as well as the tools and equipment necessary to make the repair. ‘
Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association
'The part of the automotive industry concerned with the manufacturing, remanufacturing, distribution, retailing, and installation of all vehicle parts, chemicals, tools, equipment and accessories for light and heavy vehicles, after the sale of the automobile by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to the consumer'.
Wikipedia
Vehicle Classification
Within the Automotive industry, vehicles are classified by type and weight. Motor vehicle classification systems vary from country to country, and definitions can overlap between classifications. In general, motor vehicles are classified as:
Light vehicle: Passenger cars and light duty trucks including pick-up trucks, vans and SUVs.
Heavy duty or commercial vehicles: The distinction between light and heavy duty trucks is defined by weight. This limit depends on national and professional definitions and varies between 3.5 and 7 tons. Commercial vehicles include light commercial vehicles; heavy trucks; coaches and buses; and heavy duty motor vehicles weighing over 7 tons used for carrying goods. This includes tractor vehicles designed for towing semi-trailers. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, medium and heavy duty trucks are called Lorries. Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) is the term used in the European Union for heavy duty trucks. The former term Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) is also commonly used.
Resources for Automotive Statistics
Government Statistics National Governments track a variety of automotive statistics including: production; sales; vehicles in use (a.k.a. registrations or parc); road vehicle activity; average age of vehicles; safety issues; fuel economy; and other issues pertaining to the automotive industry. Statistics gathered and published by the government are often several years out of date.
The United States Department of Commerce tracks the manufacture of Motor Vehicles (NAICS 3361) in the Annual Survey of Manufacturers
(http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/asm/index.html). The most recent data available is from 2006. In years ending in 2 and 7, manufacturing statistics are included in the manufacturing sector of the Economic Census
Statistics Canada (http://digbig.com/5baspw) publishes reports on new motor vehicles sales, and the quarterly Canadian Vehicle Survey provides information on road vehicle activity and vehicle registrations.
In the UK, the Office for National Statistics (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/abi/) collects and publishes manufacturing statistics. The automotive industry is included in Subsection DM. (Group 34.1 Manufacture of motor vehicles; Group 34.2 Manufacture of bodies (coachwork) for motor vehicles; manufacture of trailers and semi-trailers; Group 34.3 Manufacture of parts and accessories for motor-vehicles and their engines.)
Trade Associations Trade Associations represent almost every segment of the Automotive Industry including: Motor Vehicle Manufacturers; Automotive Dealerships; Automotive Component Manufacturers; the Automotive Aftermarket; the Heavy Duty Truck Industry; Bus Associations; Motorcycle Manufacturers; Recreational Vehicle Manufacturers; and more. Useful information can be found in trade association magazines and publications. Statistics published by trade associations are frequently more recent than government sources.
A few of the largest associations include:
OICA (http://www.oica.net/) The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers was founded in Paris in 1919. It is known as the ‘Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles' (OICA). OICA aggregates production statistics for 39 countries: by country; by manufacture, make and type of vehicle. Links to the 42 member associations are available at http://oica.net/category/about-us/members/. Many of the national associations have an English version of their websites, including access to statistics.
NADA (http://www.nada.org/) The National Automotive Dealers Association tracks new automobile sales in the United States.
RMIF (http://www.rmif.co.uk/) The Retail Motor Industry Federation is the trade association for the retail motor industry in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. The association includes automobile and motorcycle retailers; motor auction houses; petrol retailers; body shops; and independent garages.
Commercial Market Research The automotive industry is well reported by commercial market research publishers. You can purchase reports directly from the publishers, or from aggregators such as MarketResearch.com; Profound; Researchandmarkets.com, Reportlinker.com and others. Definitions of the industry vary by publisher. Publishers that report on the industry include:
Other Resources Aftermarket News (http://www.aftermarketnews.com/) Trade publication for industry news. The Data Center includes information on the North American Automotive Aftermarket. The Association Directory includes International Automotive Aftermarket Associations
Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com/) AOL industry blog. Autoblog reports monthly sales for North American in the ‘By the Numbers' section.
Auto Industry (http://www.autoindustry.co.uk/) Covers the UK automotive industry. Includes access to industry news, statistical information resources, publications link. The statistics are provided by the Automotive Unit of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and are therefore several years out of date.
Subscription based resources Free resources can provide a high level overview of sales, production, and vehicles in use. When you need detailed statistics based on vehicle model, type of engine, etc., you need to go to the subscription based resources.
Automotive News Data Center (http://www.autonews.com/)Some information is available for free; including top level CSM forecasts for North American, Europe and China. Most of the information in the Data Center requires a subscription to an Automotive News publication. You can also register to purchase weekly or monthly access. The print version ‘Automotive News Global Market Data Book' is available at some university and public libraries.
CSM Worldwide (http://www.csmauto.com/)Provides automotive market forecasting services. A quarterly newsletter is available on the website. Global production summaries are also available.
Global Insight Automotive Group (http://www.globalinsight.com/Automotive) Provides in-depth global economic and statistical information including detailed automotive production and sales forecast data. You can request custom reports without having a subscription.
Just-auto.com (http://www.just-auto.com/) Research reports on a wide variety of industry topics. A free weekly news briefing is available to non-subscribers.
Polk (http://www.polk.com/) Provides global vehicle registration data. The website offers a variety of free summary reports on various topics. The Polk blog
Wardsauto.com (http://wardsauto.com/) The Reference Center includes Global coverage on production, sales and registration data. A few samples of information are available for free, including: Current North American Production; U.S. Light Vehicle Sales; and North American Capacity Utilization. A supplier directory is also available free. You can request custom statistical reports without a subscription. Two annual print publications include much of the same data available through the Reference Center: Ward's Automotive Yearbook and Ward's Automotive Facts and Figures. Check your local public library for holdings.
Kathleen Rainwater is the owner and principal researcher at Competitive Business Research, which specializes in custom business research for strategic planning and business development. Kathleen has over 25 years of research experience; holds an MBA and MLIS degree from the University of Denver; is a member of the Association of Independent Information Professionals, the Special Libraries Association and the Society for Competitive Intelligence Professionals.
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In 2008, the worldwide automotive industry produced over 70 million vehicles, employed over nine million people, and represented ‘over 5% of the world's total manufacturing employment'. [Note 1]
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