GOVERNMENT REGULATION AND THE FUTURE OF THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

A review of some activities in the major industries supplying the automotive sector during the past seven years indicates some rapid and imaginative responses to a rapidly shifting market: development of lighter weight, high-strength steels that are easy to form and weld, and of corrosion-resistant steels (zinc coated and prepainted); development of lightweight aluminum alloys and maintenance-free batteries; new applications of plastics; development of corrosion-resistant coatings for zinc and thin-wall, lightweight zinc castings; development of longer lasting tires with increased tread wear, more effective lubricants, and water-based paints (eliminating air-polluting solvents); and development of thinner and lighter high-strength glass. New products include catalytic converters, turbochargers, fuel injection systems, electronic monitoring and control systems, and new families of diesel engines. Apparent future trends include weight changes; the mix of lighter trucks and buses (less than 10,000 lbs.) is getting heavier and the mix of heavier trucks and buses is getting lighter. The passenger car continues to get lighter. Electric vehicles could represent 3% of the 1985 passenger car market. Elimination of the spare tire will reduce tire needs. More trucks as well as passenger cars will be diesel powered. Passenger car engines will be smaller, with fewer cylinders. Turbochargers will supplement smaller gasoline and diesel engines in cars and trucks. Smaller front-wheel drive vehicles will increase on the domestic market and foreign manufacturers will establish a U.S. base. Items to be phased out include catalytic converters, spark plugs, and zinc-coated steel. Overall, there is a substantial decline in materials required to produce the 1985 car, with weight reduced 12%. A 65% share of the vehicle market is predicted for passenger cars in 1985, vs. 74% in 1978 and 83% in 1971. On the other hand, additional regulations to be implemented (passive restraints, noise control, and component and material quality standards) will add weight to future passenger cars.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Also published in HS-028 918, "Government, Technology, and the Future of the Automobile," New York, 1980 p 189-95. Presented at Harvard Business School Symposium on Government, Technology, and the Automotive Future, Boston, 19-20 October 1978.
• Corporate Authors:

  McGraw-Hill, Incorporated

  330 West 42nd Street
  New York, NY  United States  10036
• Authors:
  • Popovich, F T
• Publication Date: 1980

Media Info

• Pagination: 7 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobile industry; Regulations; Suppliers; Trend (Statistics)
• Subject Areas: Law; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00393040
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-028 930
• Files: HSL, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 28 1985 12:00AM