Driving over a cliff? : business lessons from the world's car industry / Graeme P. Maxton, John Wormald.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Pt. 1. Society and the Demand for Automobiles. 1. From blessing to curse? The societal impact of road vehicles. 2. The ratchet effect: why cars are here to stay. 3. From conveyance to icon...and back? The changing nature of demand -- Pt. 2. The Automobile Industry at a Turning Point. 4. Getting what you want: the breakdown of product class barriers. 5. A battle of Titans: the achievements of the vehicle manufacturers. 6. Sweeping the globe: a still incomplete Japanese dominance. 7. From slaves to partners: the restructuring of the components industry. 8. The last frontier for competitive advantage? Distribution, the aftermarket and the customer interface. 9. The back seat drivers: the industry and its major constituencies. 10. The Triad Club: outsiders need not apply. 11. Bleak House? The state of the automotive industry today -- Pt. 3. Markets and the Outlook for Demand. 12. Global cooling: the overall prospects. 13. World War Three: the European battleground.

14. Peace in our time? The future for the NAFTA region. 15. The new empire: the globalization of the Japanese industry. 16. Not all that it seems: the future for the Pacific Rim. 17. No Eldorado: the future for South America. 18. Marginal additions: the rest of the world -- Pt. 4. Options for Products, Vehicle Manufacturers and the Industry. 19. Alternative technologies: options for the car itself. 20. A global oligopoly: options for the car manufacturers. 21. A global shake-out: the other actors and the future of the industry -- Pt. 5. Learning from the Industry. 22. Managing change: the car industry and the lifecycle -- Appendix: Lessons in business analysis.