Publications

May 1978 (Revised October 1994)
Supplement

Cumberland Metal Industries (D): Model Year 1979 Results with Beta Motors

By: Benson P. Shapiro

Designed as a class hand-out after discussion of the (A), (B), and (C) cases. View Details

Keywords: Auto Industry

22 May 2017
Lessons from the Classroom

A Luxury Industry Veteran Teaches the Importance of Aesthetics to Budding Business Leaders

Pauline Brown joined the HBS faculty following a tenure as Chairman of North America at the French luxury goods conglomerate, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. (Photo credit: Albert Cheung) To future CEOs who want to succeed in the business of making and marketing... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Auto; Auto; Auto; Auto

May 1978 (Revised October 1994)
Supplement

Cumberland Metal Industries (C): Model Year 1979 Negotiations with Beta Motors

By: Benson P. Shapiro

Designed as a class hand-out after discussion of the (A) and (B) cases. View Details

Keywords: Auto Industry

1980
Chapter

The International Product Life Cycle and United States Regulation of the Automobile Industry

By: L. T. Wells Jr.

Keywords: History; Government and Politics; Globalized Markets and Industries; Business and Government Relations; Auto Industry; United States

April 2002
Article

Local Versus Global Mimetism: The Dynamics of Alliance Formation in the Automobile Industry

By: Carlos Garcia-Pont and Nitin Nohria

Keywords: Local Range; Global Range; Production; Auto Industry

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February 2017 (Revised May 2018)
Case

The Flint, Michigan Sit-Down Strike

By: Tom Nicholas, Christopher T. Stanton and Matthew Preble

For roughly six weeks between late December 1936 and February 1937, a major strike at several critical General Motors (GM) plants in Flint, Michigan, essentially halted the corporation’s U.S. production and resulted in significant gains for the nascent United... View Details

November 2012 (Revised April 2013)
Case

TWA Parts (Abridged)

By: V.G. Narayanan

Transworld Auto Parts had to implement its new strategy flawlessly to survive the auto industry upheaval. The new CEO asked her leadership team to craft strategy maps and balanced scorecards to help each division implement its strategies. View Details

Keywords: Business Divisions; Leadership; Balanced Scorecard; Management Teams; Business Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Auto Industry; Auto Industry

June 2001 (Revised April 2004)
Case

Innovation at Progressive (B): Homeowners Insurance

By: Frances X. Frei and Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar

Analyzes whether Progressive, strictly an auto insurer, should enter the home owner's insurance market. The critical decision is whether the competencies that made Progressive succeed in the auto insurance industry can translate to the home owner's insurance industry. View Details

Keywords: Market Entry and Exit; Insurance Industry

2012
Article

The Architecture of Transaction Networks: A Comparative Analysis of Hierarchy in Two Sectors

By: Jianxi Luo, Carliss Y. Baldwin, Daniel E. Whitney and Christopher L. Magee

Many products are manufactured in networks of firms linked by transactions, but comparatively little is known about how or why such transaction networks differ. This article investigates the transaction networks of two large sectors in Japan at a single point in time.... View Details

Keywords: Transactions; Hierarchy; Industry Architecture; Innovation; Networks; Market Transactions; Vertical Integration; Industry Structures; Innovation and Invention; Auto Industry; Auto Industry; Japan

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15 Jan 2020
Video

Suresh Krishna

Suresh Krishna, founder of the largest manufacturer of industrial fasteners for the auto industry in India, explains how his company has maintained positive industrial relations by cultivating open... View Details

Video

Suresh Krishna

Suresh Krishna, founder of the largest manufacturer of industrial fasteners for the auto industry in India, discusses his company's decision following India's economic liberalization in the 1990's not to enter industries controlled by the government. View Details

April 1989 (Revised March 1991)
Case

New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (A)

Concerns a 1983 joint venture between General Motors and Toyota to produce small cars in the United States. Describes the globalization of the auto industry and the competitive positions of the two companies. View Details

Keywords: Competition; Joint Ventures; Globalized Markets and Industries; Auto Industry; Japan; United States

15 Jan 2020
Video

Suresh Krishna

Suresh Krishna, founder of the largest manufacturer of industrial fasteners for the auto industry in India, explains his “dharma of business”: to lift as many people out of poverty as he can while also running... View Details

July 1999 (Revised March 2002)
Case

Shanghai Volkswagen: Facing a New Era

Explores the development of the Chinese auto industry and of Shanghai Volkswagen (SVW), a successful joint venture in China. Established in 1984, SVW is a joint venture between Volkswagen of Germany and the Shanghai Automobile Industry Corp. (SAIC). One key element of... View Details

Keywords: Partners and Partnerships; Joint Ventures; Supply Chain; Auto Industry; Shanghai; Germany

July 2022 (Revised January 2024)
Case

Kovi: Changing Brazil's Mobility Landscape

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Michael Norris and Alexis Lefort

Kovi, a car rental startup located in São Paulo, Brazil, provides affordable access to rental cars for rideshare drivers. The case examines the origins of the company, provides background on the auto and rideshare industries in Brazil, and follows the CEO, Adhemar... View Details

Keywords: Ridesharing; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Startups; Developing Countries and Economies; Auto Industry; Brazil; Mexico; Latin America

July 1981
Background Note

Competitive Status of the U.S. Automobile Industry--1981: Crisis and Transition

By: Kim B. Clark

Examines the competitive status of the U.S. auto industry in 1979-80. Provides information on the historical background of the current crisis using data on the United States and Japan. Discusses the competitive position of the U.S. industry in terms of productivity,... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Auto Industry

February 2019 (Revised May 2021)
Case

Electric Car Wars, 2018

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

Electric cars had long been championed by environmentalists as a superior solution to the internal combustion engine (ICE), but, despite large government incentives and strong pioneering efforts by a few automakers over the years, electric and hybrid cars and light... View Details

February 2019
Case

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group: Acquisition of Volvo Cars

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Willy Shih and Nancy Dai

Zhejiang Geely Holding Company's acquisition of Volvo cars was widely viewed with skepticism because of the poor track record of cross-border auto industry acquisitions. This case looks at the acquisition and post-acquisition integration from the point of view of... View Details

Keywords: Merger Integration; Organization Culture; Organization Behavior; Organizational Alignment; Mergers and Acquisitions; Integration; Alignment; Organizational Culture; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Auto Industry; China; Sweden

January 2018
Supplement

Fuyao Glass: Making Automotive Windshields

By: Willy C. Shih

This supplementary video shows the manufacturing process for automotive windshields. It is intended for use with HBS Case no. 618-007 Fuyao Glass: Americas Sourcing Decision. View Details

Keywords: Manufacturing; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Footprint; Production Management; Production; Management; Auto Industry; China; United States