The Environmental Challenges Facing The American Auto...

The environmental challenges facing the American auto industry. At the beginning of twenty centuries until now the American auto industry has been growing and in demand. Henry Ford innovated mass-production techniques that became standard, with Ford, General Motors and Chrysler emerges as the â€Å"Big Three† auto companies by the 1920s. Manufacturers funneled their resources to the military during World War II, and afterward automobile production in Europe and Japan soared to meet demand. Once vital to the expansion of American urban centers, the industry had become a shared global enterprise with the rise of Japan as the leading automaker by 1980. And Americans dominated the industry in the first half of the twentieth century. Hence, from the†¦show more content†¦Analysts expect the auto-industry recovery to persist as the market is benefiting from low interest rates, longer-term loans, and rebounding consumer confidence. Edmunds consultancy predicts 2014 sales of over 16 million, only one million units below the year 2000 sales record. Kristin Dziczek, a specialist at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, says the post-great recession U.S. The auto industry is now highly competitive versus all global rivals. The United States auto industry is dominated by five major auto manufacturers: GM, Toyota, Ford, Cerberus (which owns Chrysler), and Honda, in ascending order of market share. These companies comprise 74.3% of the US market. The strength of US auto manufacturers, GM, Ford, and the company formerly known as Daimler-Chrysler, were once the dominant forces in the US market, fueled in part by their strength in the American-specific segment for pick-up trucks. However, with an increase in globalization, domestic markets must now compete with foreign competition. As foreign companies have gained accessibility into the US market over the past decade, domestic car manufactures have found it increasingly harder to compete. Most foreign competitors have been able to obtain lower raw material and prod uction costs while maintaining equal, if not better, quality of their product. The current market has been fueled by an attraction to European and Asian automakers and car models. New technology for powering