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auomobile industry

 

At the beginning of the 20th century there were more than 200 producers but shortly after 1909, the number of firms in the industry fell considerably and by 1919 the industry was clearly showing signs of its present state with the three dominant firms being GM, Ford and Chrysler (Klepper, 4).
             The concentration of prosperous firms around the same region, Detroit, Michigan was unusual and quite fascinating. Initially, because of the region's location, flocks of new firms entered the industry through the eastern seaboard and the Midwest. However, the forces of the market pushed the smaller, weaker firms out as the larger firms with great amounts of Research & Development (R&D) productivity returned higher profits and expanded (Klepper, 14).
             Table 2: .
             .
             TOTAL 33121 36806 41987 43056 43382 42434 41716.
             Office of National Statistics: Annual Business Inquiry, published December, .
             Dominant Companies within the Industry.
             The three major companies in the industry from 1920 to present are Chrysler, Ford and GM. While Chrysler may not have the portfolio of vehicles that GM and Ford possess and is the smallest of the three in terms of market share. GM seems to have mastered the production process while Ford is not far behind. The other firms in the market are mostly foreign based, located in Asia and Europe.
             Financial Performance of the Industry over time.
             The outlook for the future seems fuzzy despite the zero-percent interest financing launched by GM in an attempt to boost sales post September 11, 2001. Consumers seem uncertain and under confident about making any investments. This coupled by the ever increasing erosion of market share by the Asian and European brands, who seem to be more quickly responsive to changes in demand, seem to indicate that profits may have to come from another venture. According to national industry director of KPMG, Brian Ambrose, "Right now North American manufacturers are in a transition phase and, over the next few years; plan to roll out dozens of models with exciting styling and new technology.


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