Our world is rapidly changing. Everything that was popular yesterday may suddenly lose interest among the public today. Time changes everything around us. The same applies to the automotive world. Even yesterday, many seemed fantastic, and today we sometimes don’t even think about how complex modern cars have become.
But along with the development of the automotive industry, the alignment of forces in the car market is changing. For example, until recently Korean cars nobody took it seriously. Today they compete on equal terms with many European and Japanese brands.
In this complex modern reality, it is sometimes difficult to keep track of everything. For example, do you know which automakers own famous auto brands? Do you know that deutsche mark « Opel has long been owned by an American company. Or that the legendary Swedish brand " Volvo» is now wholly owned by a Chinese corporation?
Let's find out what the global automotive industry looks like. To do this, we sorted all the famous car brands by the corporations they belong to. Thanks to our catalog, you will be able to find out which car brand belongs to a particular car company.
Japanese automakers
Toyota Motor Vehicle Brands
- one of the largest corporations in the world, which is engaged in the industrial production of vehicles. For several years now, Toyota has been the largest car manufacturer in the world.
The main business of "Toyota Motor" is the production of cars, trucks and buses, which are produced under different brands. Here is a list of car brands that belong to the Toyota Motor concern:
Fuji Heavy Industries
Fuji Heavy Industries has been operating since 1917. During World War II, the company was the world's largest aircraft manufacturer. After the end of the Great Patriotic War, Japan's Fuji Heavy Industries Corporation, thanks to the merger of several companies, has become the largest automaker on the world stage.
Fuji Heavy Industries manufactures intercity buses as well. The company also produces military helicopters for the Japanese army. Including the Japanese concern is a manufacturer of civilian helicopters known around the world.
Here is a list of car brands that are owned by Fuji Heavy Industries:
Renault-Nissan Alliance
"Renault-Nissan Alliance" is the world's largest automotive alliance of two companies - the Japanese company "Nissan" and the French "Renault". Through joint activities, the companies produce many car models around the world.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance is also a shareholder in a number of automotive brands around the world. So, for example, in 2009, our Government offered Renault to jointly develop Avtovaz. As a result, the Renault-Nissan Alliance began to modernize the production facilities of the car plant in Togliatti.
Thanks to investments and updating of production lines in recent years, several new models under the Lada brand have rolled off the assembly line of the plant, which have become popular in Russia.
Here is a list of car brands that are owned by the Renault-Nissan Alliance:
Russian Machines Group
The Russian Machines Group is a major participant in the Russian car market. So the corporation, in addition to the production of aircraft and road construction equipment, is engaged in the production of cars under the GAZ brand.
Here is a list of car brands that belong to the Russian Machines group:
Indian automakers
Tata Motors
Tata Motors is a major global Indian automobile corporation that manufactures cars and trucks. The company also manufactures buses, commercial vans, military equipment and construction equipment. In terms of production and size, Tata Motors ranks 5th in the world.
In terms of production of cargo vehicles, the Indian Corporation ranks 4th in the world. But the most surprising thing is that Tata also occupies the 2nd place in the world in terms of production of bus vehicles.
Here is a list of car brands that belong to the Tata Motors group:
, Tata, Tata Daewoo
Mahindra & Mahindra Limited
Mahindra & Mahindra Limited is India's largest manufacturer of automobiles and tractors. Including this company produces special equipment for the military needs of the country, as well as many models of agricultural equipment.
It is worth noting that Mahindra & Mahindra Limited ranks first in the world in terms of tractor production.
Here is a list of car brands that are owned by Mahindra & Mahindra Limited:
SsangYong Mahindra
French automakers
PSA Group (Peugeot Citroën PSA)
"PSA Group" is the French Automobile Alliance, which is engaged in the production of passenger cars, crossovers, commercial vans (minibuses) and motorcycles. Including the Peugeot Citroën group produces engines for well-known companies in the car market: Citroën, Ford, Jaguar, Mini and Peugeot., Dacia, Datsun, Infiniti, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Renault, Samsung, Venucia
Korean automakers
Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group
Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group is a South Korean automobile corporation, which ranks second in terms of production in Asia, second only to Toyota. The Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group is also the fourth largest automaker in the world after General Motors, Volkswagen Group and Toyota.
The main activity of the corporation in the automotive market is the production of cars, crossovers, SUVs, buses, commercial vehicles as well as trucks.
Here is a list of car brands that are owned by the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group:
,
Chinese automakers
Zhejiang Geely Holdings Group
Zhejiang Geely Holdings Group is one of the ten largest Chinese automobile companies. At the moment, the holding owns 9 automobile plants in China.
Beyond production ordinary cars the company is engaged in the production of cars for taxi transportation, motorcycles, engines, gearboxes. This company became known to the whole world after it bought the Swedish legendary automobile brand Volvo.
Here is a list of car brands that are owned by Zhejiang Geely Holdings Group:
Geely,
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2. Volkswagen Group The Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automotive company headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a manufacturer of cars, trucks, motorcycles, engines and turbomachines. Volkswagen means "people's car" in German. Its current slogan is "Das Auto" ("Car"). The company has offices in approximately 150 countries and operates 100 manufacturing facilities in 27 countries. The company's assets are estimated at $ 446,920,000,000, 572,800 employees of the company work in different countries of the world. Market value: $119,100,000,000 Sales: $261,600,000,000 Profit: $12,000,000,000
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4. BMW Group (BMW group) Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German company for the production of cars, motorcycles and engines. It was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. BMW's activities are carried out in more than 150 countries, and are coordinated from the "four-cylinder" building in Munich. The BMW Group manufactures motorcycles under the Motorrad brand. It also manufactures mini cars and luxury Rolls-Royce cars. The company has 10 research centers, 4 of which are in Germany, 3 in the US and 1 each in Austria, Japan and China. The BMW Group currently operates 28 production facilities in 13 countries. This global production network is the backbone of growth for BMW. The BMW Group currently has car dealerships in 34 countries worldwide. It employs 110,351 people and has assets valued at $190,660,000,000 Market value: $83,400,000,000 Sales: $101,000,000,000 Profit: $7,400,000,000
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If you decide to purchase new car, then you should pay attention not only to its characteristics, but also to study the information about the manufacturer. Nowadays, the vast majority of enterprises are part of concerns, and do not work alone.
The term "concern" has German-English roots, but its beginning was found in Latin, where the word meant "mix". The world's first concern was founded during the reign of the Florentine figure Cosimo de Medici, who was actively transporting goods to Africa and Asia. Once Lee Yakkoka, the most famous American manager, said that in the twenty-first century the world market for the auto industry will be controlled by just a couple of companies. In his judgments, he relied solely on world trends, so his prediction came true with the highest accuracy, although it seems to many that in our world a large number of independent car manufacturers. In reality, there are certain alliances, which include automakers.
According to the results of the past 2015, the top 3 world concerns include the American group of companies General Motors, the German alliance Volkswagen Konzern and the largest Japanese automotive association - Toyota motor corporation. The GM brand boasted a record level of sales, having sold about ten million cars of its “wards” brands. Consider which brands belong to which concerns for 2016.
General Motors: Leader or Bankrupt
General Motors has gone through a long and thorny path of his formation. For a long seventy-seven years, no other automaker could surpass its sales level, although in 2009 the management declared bankruptcy. A lot has changed since then. At the moment, General Motors includes such brands as Daewoo Alpheon (Daewoo Alpheon), Buick (Buick), Cadillac (Cadillac), Chevrolet (Chevrolet), GMC (GMC), Holden (Holden), Opel (Opel) and Vauxhall ( Vauxhall). GM also maintains constant cooperation with such brands as Fiat (Fiat), Alfa Romeo ( Alfa Romeo), Lancia, Ferrari, Maserati, Subaru, Isuzu and Suzuki. The company, whose main shareholders are the Department of the Treasury and the Amalgamated Union of the United States of America, is moving forward steadily, developing its production and creating new, more advanced car models. The production facilities of the corporation are located in thirty-five countries, while cars are in demand in almost two hundred states.
One of the latest developments of General Motors is the GMC Terrain. The debut show of the updated car was carried out in the spring of 2015. However, there were no changes from the technical part, the restyling touched only on the external and internal designs. Also recently, the world saw the second generation of pickups GMC Canyon Extended Cab and GMC Canyon Crew Cab. In 2016, the release of the next modernization of the car is expected.
Volkswagen AG: development no matter what
Another world-famous association of automobile companies is the Volkswagen concern. Few people know that the founder of the company is the German designer Ferdinand Porsche. At the end of the Second World War, the management of the factories passed into the hands of the British administration, and then Lower Saxony began to head the limited liability company, thanks to which, under a well-known brand, the production of food products, as well as the provision of services in the field of finance and logistics, began. The concern owes its current success to the excellent crisis manager Ferdinand Piech. As of today, Volkswagen Konzern is made up of 342 companies, among which are Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini , Scania (Scania), Man (MAN), Porsche (Porsche), Ducati (Ducati) and so on. Even despite the global crisis, in 2009 the company managed to increase its profit by selling more than six million cars. At forty-six Volkswagen plants, about twenty-six and a half thousand cars are produced daily.
The corporation has always been distinguished by very capacious slogans, the main of which is “Das Auto” (“This is a car”), which is both simple and rather defiant, suggesting that others vehicles cannot bear the proud title of "car".
The spring of 2015 was very fruitful for the company - an updated wagon was introduced in March Volkswagen Passat The eighth generation Alltrack, equipped with skid plates, an adapted chassis with off-road modes, increased towing ability. Improvements have not been made in the electronic part either - the picture received from the rear view camera is displayed on the screen, along with hints about changing the trajectory of movement. If necessary, the system itself can adjust the steering part.
The Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid has not been modernized either - the aerodynamics of the car has significantly improved, and the drag coefficient has decreased.
Toyota Motor Corporation: drive the dream
Among the top three automotive concerns, Toyota Motor Corporation was founded the latest. Initially, the company produced looms using a patented technology, according to which, in the event of a problem, the equipment had a self-shutdown function. After the sale of the patent, Sakichi Toyoda received start-up capital for a new business. Having visited Europe and America, the Japanese firmly decided to develop the automotive industry in his country. The company was doomed from the start. Even her name was slightly corrected so that when written in katakana, the word consisted of eight strokes, and eight, as you know, is considered a lucky number. Production has developed very dynamically. In 1962, the world saw the millionth car, and just ten years later, the ten millionth. By 1992, every second inhabitant of the sakura country had a branded car in the garage. In 2009, for the first time in fifty-nine years, Toyota ended the year at a loss. Now all the difficulties are in the distant past. Brand cars are distinguished by ergonomics, reliability and unique design.
Toyota can safely boast of a collection of brands, among which are Subaru (Subaru) and Lexus (Lexus).
Among the largest corporations, Toyota has completed the largest amount of work in the field of restyling cars over the past year. It was felt by such models as Toyota Auris, Toyota Auris Touring Sports, Toyota Auris Touring Sports Hybrid, Toyota Avensis, Toyota Avensis Wagon, Toyota Prius+, Toyota Land Cruiser 200, Toyota Alphard. Premiere serial version became the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid with the impeccable quality of the technical part of the power plants.
Rostov International Institute of Economics
North Caucasian Academy of Public Administration
COURSE WORK
Prepared
2nd year student 2 groups
Bayan Artyom Sergeevich
Teacher
Associate Professor Kharchenko Ivan Semyonovich
Rostov-on-Don
1. Introduction 3
2. Global automotive industry today 6
2.1. Big Three 12
2.3 Asian passenger car market 21
2.4 Russia 23
3. “Green cars – myth or reality?! 25
4. Prospects for the development of the industry 27
Sources of information 28
Introduction.
The significance of the automotive industry and the prospects for its development are determined by the place that vehicles occupy in the transport and energy infrastructure, and its overall role in the national economy of a country. Thus, Deputy Minister of Industry, Science and Technology Sergei Mitin noted that the leading countries in the automotive industry also occupy first positions in the world economy; automotive industry directly affects technical progress and speaks better than many statistical calculations about the solvency of the population, and hence about the standard of living. The automotive industry, being, on the one hand, a major consumer of material, labor and financial resources, and on the other hand, one of the main manufacturers of industrial products, plays an important role in the development of social production and the country's economy as a whole.
In terms of the combination of the design and technological complexity of each product with the mass scale of production, the automotive industry has no analogues among other branches of modern engineering. This feature is associated with a high degree of concentration of capital in the automotive industry, as well as a rapid reduction in the number of firms - independent producers.
The above factors have led to an intensification of competition between global automotive companies to maintain their share of the domestic market and expand export trade. In the face of such fierce competition, some states are taking a number of measures to limit the influence of large foreign companies on the domestic automotive market.
Developed countries are largely dependent on the automotive industry, as auto-TNCs in these countries play a very large role in their economy.
Currently, the automotive industry is undergoing a process of restructuring the regional structure, the beginning of which was evident in the 80s. This process includes both a redistribution of the share between the leading centers of capitalist production and an increase in the share of economically developing countries, in which, under the influence of large world automobile companies, intensive development of automobile production takes place.
The process of forming the maximum possible automated factories can be considered completed, in which human labor is simplified or automated, and on most of the conveyor line, operations are performed by robots. The only exceptions are outdated third world factories, as well as small-scale and piece production, in which manual labor is a tradition and is highly valued.
The modern automotive world is also characterized by a high degree of specialization. There are a number of major corporations specializing in the production of specific parts and blocks of cars (motors, transmissions, tires, mufflers, car appliances, etc.). This division of labor was caused by the struggle for the maximum optimization of the use of available funds and the achievement of maximum technical and operational performance of products.
Another important feature of the automotive industry is internal and inter-firm cooperation. Currently, there is not a single major automotive company that does not have intercompany agreements on the mutual supply of individual components, as well as the joint development or production of products. However, it should be noted that there are smaller companies that are less involved in this process.
In a market, open, unstable economic environment, characteristic of almost all countries, the influence of product exports on ensuring a strong economic position of a company has significantly increased.
The process of concentration of forces in the automotive industry is intensifying. According to a study by the financial institution HypoVereinsbank, out of five and a half thousand suppliers of the industry by 2010, less than half will remain in the world, and out of fifteen large automobile concerns - no more than ten. In the next decade, the automotive industry will develop especially actively in Asian countries, of Eastern Europe and South America (i.e. markets not formed in the automotive concept). According to experts' forecasts, the annual growth of the industry in these regions will be 7.5%. The best chances for survival will be those companies that will create their own production facilities in these parts of the planet.
According to HypoVereinsbank, the annual turnover of the global automotive industry is today 2 trillion 450 billion euros.
The global automotive industry today .
By the new century, the automotive industry emerged with three distinct areas of concentration: the North American market, the European zone, and Asia, which includes primarily Japan and Korea.
Last year, 56.8 million new cars were sold worldwide. The most capacious is still the US automotive market. According to the results of 2001, more than 17.2 million new cars were sold there, which is about 30% of world sales. Japan and South Korea are in second place in terms of car sales - 10 million or 17.5% of the world market. Europe is in third place. About 9 million cars were sold there (16% of the world volume). Russia settled at the end of a long list of countries with a score of 1,200,000 new cars, or 0.2%.
It should be noted that each of these markets has its own distinctive features! Manufacturers now simply have to study consumer tastes and preferences, while using all the achievements of progress. Otherwise, a potential buyer will simply buy the car he needs from a competitor! The following characteristic features of passenger cars of various manufacturers can be distinguished.
For American manufacturers of the end of the last century was characterized by gigantism: the machines were very large both inside and out! American SUVs (jeeps) seemed especially terrifying and unusual for Europeans or Japanese. Equipped with large engines (up to 6.0 liters of working volume), they were extremely uneconomical and were mostly not used for their intended purpose (off-road). Now American cars look a little different, although the most popular car is the Ford F-series pickup. And half of all cars sold in America are pickup trucks, SUVs or minivans. Also popular are big sedans executive class. From a technical point of view, the dream of an American is a car with a large engine, an automatic transmission, a selector located on the steering column, a large trunk and many "cup holders" - round containers in which you can put a can of Coca-Cola.
European cars are distinguished by their restraint and outwardly very traditional. Cars of European manufacturers have an exact division into classes and all classes, from small cars to executive sedans, are well-produced in Europe. European cars are more restrained in size than American ones: smaller dimensions, smaller engines and less spacious interiors. Cars equipped with automatic transmissions account for about half of all sold. Interiors of Eurocars often have leather and wood trim, and are also well thought out in terms of ergonomics. There is a wide range of cars of smaller classes, as well as large sedans. Much attention is paid to the economy and environmental friendliness of the purchased car. And also an important criterion when choosing a car for a European is its driving performance: handling and comfort are valued.
Asian cars are also distinguished by their "Asian" design. They often have narrow or small headlights and smooth body lines. The "Japanese" are very good from a technical point of view. And according to the options offered, a Japanese car for the domestic market can outperform an American or European one. Environmental friendliness and economy are also at the forefront here. Very popular in Japan and other Asian countries are small and medium cars, as well as sports cars, the basis for which are most often serial sedans. Much attention is paid to the engines and driving characteristics of cars, which should satisfy lovers of active driving, who choose cars only with manual box gear!
All these traditions and preferences must be taken into account by manufacturers in order for their cars to be successful with buyers. And indeed, numerous studies are being carried out in this area to create cars for a specific automotive market or even a country! Taking into account all the data, as well as experience, manufacturers produce exactly the machines that consumers are waiting for on the market. And therein lies the success! So the markets are filled with several successful models.
However, there are exceptions - the so-called "world cars", which are designed to be sold on all continents. A few recent examples of such vehicles are the VW New Beetle and the Mini, which were built with design in mind. specific vehicles middle of the last century. IN this case The nostalgic factor played a huge role. Although from a technical point of view, these cars are modern, but not perfect. Now they are selling well in Europe and America.
It will not be superfluous to note that the automotive "ideologies" of different markets have had a strong influence on each other, making cars more "international". When a manufacturer prepares to launch a car on the market, he basically counts on two or three countries in which it will be sold. Therefore, for good sales and good profits, the car must combine the passions and preferences of the people living in these countries.
Some firms produce cars for a specific category of people. Factors such as income, position in society, age and lifestyle are taken into account.
In the current conditions of the most intense competition, no large company can afford to produce cars of similar class on a different technical base, because the development of a fundamentally new machine is very expensive and time-consuming for the manufacturer. This, ultimately, affects the timeliness of the appearance of a new car on sale and its price. Therefore, large car factories are trying to occupy intermediate niches between the main models, making small upgrades and changing the appearance. Moreover, recently cars of “non-standard” sizes and classes are in good demand.
One example is the construction different cars concern Volkswagen. Seven cars were built on the so-called GolfIV base, which were produced at about the same time (VWGolfIV, AudiA3, SkodaOctavia, AudiTT, SeatToledo…). In the end, both the producer and the consumer won: Volkswagen made a profit, as it was represented on the market by a large number of cars that were close in class; consumer chose nice car to your liking, paying a reasonable price.
Automakers over the past few years have introduced a huge number of transmissions in different options and new engines. Many alternatives to automatic transmissions appeared: varieties of CVTs (the Japanese succeeded here), various sequential gearboxes, etc. All this is done to attract all more customers, showing them all the benefits of new parts. One of the evolutionary movements forward was the appearance of an engine with distributed fuel injection, which was patented by Mitsubishi. Cars with such engines have become much more dynamic, more economical and meet the strictest environmental requirements. A few years after the appearance of such an engine in Mitsubishi, all major car companies have such engines in their arsenal.
Huge amounts of money are spent by global automakers on the development of new cars, including their design. Modern cars are not just means of transportation, but also objects that should cause pleasant sensations in people. Sometimes these very "vehicles" become just a work of design art. Behind this is the long-term work of large design centers, which employ dozens and hundreds of designers from different countries. Among other things, the design of a new car should carry " family traits". That is completely new car must retain the distinctive features of previous generations. The car must be easily recognizable so that the consumer can confidently say that it is a BMW or, say, a Honda.
The latest design center ED 2 Toyota was opened in May 2000. The area on which it is located is 40 hectares. And it was built by the Japanese themselves. On a barge from Japan, all the equipment and heavy equipment arrived along with construction. And the design center was delivered on a turnkey basis a year later and cost Toyota about $13 million. Moreover, this Japanese auto giant already has one design center in Brussels. Why was another one needed? Vladimir Pirozhkov, one of the designers, says that it is better to work in the new building - it is located on the Cote d'Azur.
The main place where manufacturers can show their latest developments and achievements is an exhibition. Currently, there are about a dozen international exhibitions and many more regional auto shows. Exhibitions serve as an important source of information for manufacturers: by presenting their concept cars, trial and pre-production samples, they can collect the wishes and complaints of visitors, i.e. potential buyers. Also at the exhibition you can see your competitors and their future cars and compare with your own. At the same time, putting on the podium a future car that is not yet on sale, you can “warm up” demand for it, i.e. the exhibition is a great place to advertise!
Detroit Motor Show, Geneva, Paris Motor Show - these are the largest and most significant car exhibitions. These exhibitions are expensive for the organizing firms and car companies that exhibit their cars at them. For example, the Detroit Auto Show in 2001 cost the organizers $350 million and gathered more than 8,000 journalists and about a million visitors under its arches.
"Big Three"
It is the auto giants that are part of the "Big Three" that control most of the American car market and are the largest TNCs in the world. Ford, DaimlerChrysler, GeneralMotors are the three concerns that form the Big Three. However, these manufacturers also control other firms. Some of the firms have been completely purchased, while others are partially independent. So, for example, Daimler-Benz and Chrysler merged, becoming a single corporation. And now, under the leadership of DC, cars of such brands as Mercedes, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge are produced.
By the end of the century, the firms of the "Big Three" approached in an international composition. Indeed, by combining firms from different countries, cultures and strategies of market struggle, one can safely “fight” with other large manufacturers.
General Motors is the largest automotive giant with an annual production of more than 6 million cars. It includes both native American companies: Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Saturn, Cadillac; and European: Opel, Vauxhall, Saab. In addition, GM owns 20% of the shares Subaru and 49% Isuzu, which determines the influence to the east. Isuzu has been one of the suppliers of engines for Opel and Saab cars of the same General Motors for 10 years. But the influence of GM on Subaru is still imperceptible, probably the share of American capital is still small.
Ford's second largest auto concern is also American. This TNC includes Aston Martin, Jaguar, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. Here, too, a multinational composition is visible. The total output of the concern is about 4.6 million cars. The main part of the cars is Ford (more than 2 million), and Mazda (almost 1 million).
Closes the top three leaders of the American auto industry concern DaimlerChrysler (DC) with an annual production of 3.55 million cars. However, in the world leaderboard, it ranks sixth, behind Volkswagen (VW) and Toyota. The merger of two giants: Mercedes and Chrysler, which took place in 2001, has become one of the main events of the last decade. Of the "big three" only Chrysler for a long time remained a pure American company, having at its disposal brands Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler. Now, having at your disposal such a leader in the class of prestigious cars as Mercedes, you can safely produce cars that were previously closed to Chrysler. This association has a positive effect on both the technical and tactical side of both companies.
Currently, Mercedes, Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler cars are sold through a single dealer network and serviced by a single technical service. A smart strategy brings financial benefits.
In 2001, 17.2 million new passenger cars, SUVs and pickup trucks were sold in the US. The total number of registered cars exceeds 200 million. The rule “one family - one car”, which is valid, for example, in Russia, is not widespread in the USA. Americans consider it necessary to have two or three cars in the family. With these figures, America is the No. 1 automotive power, confirming its leadership.
The Big Three control 62.7% of the US market, 36% of the Brazilian market, 28% of Europe and 10% of Asia. Thus, the influence of American TNCs extends to most of the planet and plays an important role in socio-economic processes.
| General Motors | -1,1% |
| Ford | -5,8% |
| DaimlerChrysler | -9,6% |
Table 1. Changes in the volume of sales of cars of the "big three" in 2001 in the US market.
However, control American market becomes more and more difficult due to the massive offensive of large foreign and medium-sized manufacturers. Back in 1996, the share of American companies in "their" market was more than 72%. Mostly domestic manufacturers were "bits" in the class of luxury cars. With such brands as Cadillac and Lincoln at their disposal, the Americans over the past 10 years have ceded most of this market segment to the European brands Mercedes-Benz, BMW and the Japanese Lexus.
Table 2. Top selling luxury cars in the US in 1999.
Losses incurred by American manufacturers amount to tens of millions of dollars. There is an acute competitive struggle, during which all possible methods and methods are used. And first of all, foreign manufacturers have relied on quality.
US research publication ConsumerReports automotive market, published a rating of car reliability. The results are as follows: during the first year of operation, 15 serious malfunctions; European cars had 23 breakdowns, Americans had 24. The top ten most reliable cars included 4 Toyota cars, two each from BMW and Honda, and one each from Volkswagen and Subaru.
However, in America, "thoroughbred" American SUVs and pickups are still popular. This proves that the Ford F-series pickup was the top seller in 2001.
Table 4 SUVs, minivans and pickup trucks in the US market in 2001.
Japanese brands today control about 25% of the US car market. Such success was the result of the grammatical policy of European and Japanese companies. So, for example, Toyota, Nissan and Honda created brands such as Lexus, Infiniti and Acura specifically for the American market, respectively, to win over part of the buyers. This gave them a number of advantages.
Firstly, these names did not have a specific image (besides the one that the Japanese wanted to show in the advertising campaign), therefore, the buyers had a feeling of curiosity.
Secondly, for patriotic Americans, the “MadeinUSA” sign played a huge role. After all, the factories of these foreign firms were located in the States, despite the fact that they were controlled from Japan.
And thirdly, the aforementioned firms came to the American market with a very good product: "luxury" cars were of very high quality (compared to domestic ones), met all the requirements and preferences of local residents and were sold at very attractive prices.
However, factories located in the United States also give Americans a number of advantages: good jobs, additional budget revenues and an increase in GDP. In the end, the consumer wins.
The American company R. L. Polk & Co., which is engaged in automotive market research, has published the results of a survey conducted at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show. The question "What type of car do you need?" was asked to 5870 visitors of the exhibition. The results are as follows: 27% preferred SUVs, 15% - middle-class cars, another 15% - sports cars, 11% - prestigious sedans, another 11% - pickups, and only 7% of respondents were in favor of compact cars.
Based on these results, we can assume that the popularity table will remain the same, but the demand for pickups may decrease.
European manufacturers are represented mainly by the Volkswagen concern, which includes Audi, Skoda, Seat, Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti; concern PSA (Peugeot and Citroen); FiatAuto (Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Lancia) and BMW. There are also Ferrari, Lotus and Porcshe, which are an integral part of Europe, but sales of these car brands are negligible.
The VW concern is pursuing a policy of unifying its cars and reducing platforms, as mentioned earlier. This allows for a more flexible pricing policy, but there are also some dissatisfaction among potential customers. After all, both engines and suspension parts are subjected to unification, which makes cars look similar when driving, as well as interior elements, which causes confusion. Sometimes, only the company sign on the steering wheel helps to find out which car you are sitting in, Volkswagen or Skoda. And this, in my opinion, is a negative direction in the concern's policy. Because in civilized countries more and more people strive to be individual and stand out from the crowd, including having an exclusive car.
The VW brand is considered a manufacturer of relatively cheap "people's" cars, occupying "price" niches in many classes. The Volkswagen lineup starts with the Lupo, class A through European classification passenger cars and ends with the Passat (class D). Car prices start at less than $10,000 and end at $38,000. Thus, cars meet the needs of most of Europe's population. However, at the beginning of 2002, the new flagship of VW, the Phaeton model, was shown. This car will be produced from the end of 2002 and sold at prices ranging from $50,000 to $65,000 and will be positioned in the F class. Its competitors will be the elite of the European automotive industry: AudiA8, MercedesS-class, BMW 7-series, which are much more expensive.
As the head of the VW concern, Ferdinand Piech, said: “If Mercedes is pressing on us from below, then we will put pressure on it from above.” By this, he wanted to say that low-class Mercedes cars began to compete with Volkswagen cars, which was not the case before. Therefore, it was decided to compete in a new, higher class for themselves. The main trump card is the price and quality.
However, class E remains free, which is not occupied by the Volkswagen concern. And, we can assume that soon there will be a car that can fill the empty space. Most likely, it will be built on the basis of Phaeton.
BMW produced almost 900 thousand cars in 2001. Two years ago, the company released an SUV - the first in its history. As a result, sales increased by 10%. The company's ideology has remained the same: it produces cars for lovers of active driving - powerful, fast, with a swift appearance and at the same time, German quality. This is what managers of the company keep their customers.
Now BMW has the rights to produce a Mini factory model with the same name. This decision was made during the sale of this plant by BMW management. The development of this machine was carried out at a time when Mini company owned by a Bavarian company. The success of the model was obvious, and therefore it was not wise to sell it together with the factory, after a large investment had been made.
BMW managers turned out to be right - sales of MiniOne and MiniCooper are going great both in the Old World and in America: this year they will reach 100 thousand cars.
The German market is still the largest, and a significant part of the population (755,000 people) is employed in the automotive or related industries. In 2000, the industry's turnover amounted to 431 billion marks, and the number of cars produced passed the mark of 5 million, about 3.5 million were sold abroad, mainly in North America.
France is represented by the PSA concern and Renault, which is not part of it. PSA combines two major manufacturers - Peugeot and Citroen. The volume of production of the first is 500 thousand cars, and the second - twice as much. These two factories work mainly for the needs of the European market, producing relatively cheap and small cars. The merger of these firms was necessary because Renault is a leader in the French automotive industry, producing more than 1.5 million cars a year. Two latest car presented by the company turned out to be too revolutionary and avant-garde design. Therefore, sales are not so successful.
Two years ago, Renault merged with another powerful Japanese concern, Nissan. Now Japanese cars, which are in good demand in the countries of the European Union, will receive additional benefits and increase their sales. A European Renault will be able to settle into a new market for themselves in Japan. In addition, the French will be able to use the built Nissan dealer network in the United States, significantly saving on this. Cooperation will also take place in the technical field.
Italian FiatAuto is practically the only manufacturer in this country. It also includes Alfa Romeo and Maserati, the production of cars by the latter firm is negligible.
Europe is the market where the share of new vehicles with diesel engines is so high – 33%. This is due, first of all, to an increase in environmental friendliness and a decrease in the cost of produced diesel engines. Moreover, they are not inferior to dynamic characteristics gasoline engines, and fuel consumption is much lower. The benefit to the consumer is clear.
Asian car market.
The Asian market is significantly different from the American or European near principles. One can even single out the Asian market as a "state within a state" that lives by its own rules independent of external influences. The Japanese auto industry has a strict division of the model range into cars for the domestic and foreign markets. Those cars that are sold in Japan may never be seen and bought by an American or a German. These machines are much more advanced than those that are exported. This is largely due to the mentality of the Japanese and the stringent requirements of the domestic market in the field of ecology, economy and style. New models appear more often. If in the West the model range of an automaker is updated every 5-7 years, then the Japanese and Koreans update models for the domestic market in 3-4 years.
The largest Japanese manufacturer is Toyota, which produces over 4.4 million vehicles a year in factories located in different parts of the world, and ranks fourth in the world.
The Toyota lineup is very diverse and wide. The machines of this company have always been distinguished by a wide range of standard and additional equipment, competitive price, high technical level and undiminished quality.
The cars of the high class handles the Lexus division, whose main market is the United States.
Daihatsu, owned by Toyota, specializes in the production of small and cheap cars, which are very popular in Japan and South Korea.
Toyota supplies 3.1 million passenger cars to the Japanese domestic market and is a leader in this area.
Japan's second largest concern is Nissan, which recently merged with the French company Renault. Sales in Japan are 1.4 million vehicles, second only to Toyota.
Nissan is also very famous for its high-quality cars in Europe, and in America the Infiniti division is more famous for selling high-end cars.
Honda is the third largest automobile plant in Japan in terms of output. 1.2 million Honda cars are produced annually. This company is known for great achievements in the production of gasoline engines, as well as the development of cars using natural gas and solar energy as fuel.
Honda also has a division dedicated to the production of high-end cars, mainly for the American market.
Mitsubishi is the largest TNC, which combines not only the production of cars. However, more than twenty percent of the automobile company Mitsubishi Motors belongs to the American-European concern DaimlerChryslerAG. A representative from the DC concern was elected chairman of the board of directors of Mitsubishi. Most likely, further integration of these companies will continue.
It should be noted that Suzuki, which specializes in the production of small cars and annually produces 1.8 million cars (11th in the world), remains completely independent. Neither Japanese nor Western companies were able to take control of such a successful company.
The Korean automotive industry is represented by three companies: Hyindai, Daewoo and Kia. These companies are widely known outside their country: they sell well in Western Europe (including Russia), where they have their own factories, and also increase sales in America. More than half of the more than 3 million cars assembled in 1999 were exported.
The largest of them is Hyindai, whose production exceeds 1 million cars. These are mostly low-power and cheap cars for the general population.
Russia.
To date, there are 18 large automobile plants and car assembly enterprises in the CIS. Of these, 8 produce imported cars.
In 2001, Russian manufacturers produced 1,186,600 cars, which is 4% more than in 2000. The bulk of the cars produced are AvtoVAZ products - 767,000 cars.
The most popular foreign cars in Russia in 2001 are relatively cheap cars (up to $15,000). Moreover, there has been a trend towards an increase in the share of imported cars assembled at joint ventures in Russia. This is understandable - "local" cars are only slightly inferior to imported ones in terms of build quality, but they are noticeably cheaper. For example, a large plant in Uzbekistan (UzDaewooAvto) was able to sell about 10,000 cars through the dealer network, which is about 13% of the entire market.
However, more expensive cars are also very popular, the purchase of which is more likely due to the prestige and big name of the brand than a real need. More than 20% of all new cars bought cost their customers over $30,000. Mercedes-Benz in 2001 entered the top ten companies, having sold 3806 vehicles (5%). And such companies as BMW, Audi and Volvo were respectively on 12, 13 and 14 places according to the results of 2001.
According to the government's latest announcements, in 2003 import duties on used foreign-made cars will be significantly increased. This caused widespread dissatisfaction among the masses, since a significant part of motorists use second-hand foreign cars, preferring them to new domestic cars. On the one hand, such measures can increase sales of new domestic cars, and on the other hand, will Russian factories be able to improve the quality of their products?
"Green" cars - myth or reality?!
Environmentally friendly car that does no harm environment is the dream of every government and Greenpeace activist. However, the same car must meet the needs simple driver– be dynamic, easy to use and relatively cheap. Such problems are now faced by the creators of environmentally friendly cars, but the solution has not been found. There are several directions in which the design of "green" cars is developing.
The first direction is the use of electric motors. Such cars already exist all over the world. However, they are used as an alternative to internal combustion engines: golf cars, trolleybuses and other micro cars. So far, the electric motor cannot be compared with the conventional one in terms of its consumer characteristics, but it is absolutely “clean” for the environment.
The second direction is the use of an engine running on a mixture of gases, which emits CO 2 into the atmosphere. However, such a car is very expensive, requires special maintenance and the technology is not perfect.
At the moment, most attention is paid to cars with hybrid engines. The principle of operation is as follows: a low-power internal combustion engine works in conjunction with a generator, generating electricity for an electric motor, which in turn drives the wheels of the car. Or another option: one axle of the car is driven by a conventional engine, and if additional load is needed, the other axle will move due to electric motors. Such cars are now mass-produced, but not very popular.
Work is underway to create ultra-efficient machines. Volkswagen is the leader in this area. The Lupo model is already being produced, which consumes less than three liters of diesel fuel per 100 kilometers. Recently shown to a wide audience concept car with fuel consumption less than 1 l/100 km. It is designed for two people and gains a maximum speed of 120 km / h. Work in this direction will undoubtedly be continued and such a car will soon appear on sale.
About any revolutionary discoveries in soon yet to speak. But work is underway. And the company that will be the first to make an environmentally friendly car affordable will undoubtedly be considered a leader.
Prospects for the development of the industry.
It can be assumed that the growth of the automotive industry in the next 3-5 years will remain at the level of 5-10 percent. Serious changes in the structure of production and sales should not occur. The trend towards building factories in developing countries and "third world countries" will intensify. New sales markets will be the subject of competition between the main giants of the global automotive industry.
As already mentioned in the introduction, the process of concentration of forces will intensify. One of the criteria for unification is the difference in cultures produced by cars. Those. joint ventures will be created, the founders of which will be companies from different countries and continents. The following scenario is possible:
The General Motors concern will finally take control of the Isuzu and Subaru brands, which it now partially owns.
DaimlerChrysler will complete its merger with Mitsubishi, thus becoming a German-American-Japanese corporation.
One of the Asian companies (Suzuki or Daewoo) will join the European giant Volkswagen.
Perhaps the European cooperation of the two concerns PSA and FiatAuto to strengthen their positions in the domestic market.
It is likely that Ford, Toyota and BMW will remain far from mergers and integrations in the near future.
USED SOURCES OF INFORMATION.
2. Magazine "Expert" No. 42, 2001.
3. Automotive companies in Western Europe. NIINavtoprom. M., 1982.
4. Automobile companies of America and Japan. NIINavtoprom. M., 1982.
5. V.I. Butov. Economic and social geography of the foreign world and Russia. M., 1998.
6. Electronic encyclopedia "Krugosvet". KM., 2000.
8. Information multiportal Cyril and Methodius (www.km.ru).
automotive market economy
General Motors
One of the world's largest automobile companies, founded in 1908 by William Durant. The company's international headquarters is located in Detroit; GM enterprises located in almost 120 countries of the world employ 209 thousand people.
At the end of the first decade of the 21st century, GM's financial condition deteriorated greatly. On June 1, 2009, the company entered bankruptcy proceedings (Article 11 of the US federal bankruptcy law) - a suit was filed in the Southern Federal District of New York. Under the terms of bankruptcy, the US government provided the company with about $30 billion, and in return received a 60% stake in the concern, the government of Canada - 12% of the shares for $ 9.5 billion, the United Automotive Workers Union of the United States of America (OPRAP) - 17.5% of the shares. The remaining 10.5% of the shares were divided between the largest creditors of the concern. US President Barack Obama said that the state does not plan to control GM forever and will get rid of the controlling stake as soon as the concern's financial position improves. As a result, on July 10, 2009, a new independent company, General Motors Company, was created. Old GM (General Motor Corporation) was renamed Motors Liquidation Company.
It was assumed that after bankruptcy the concern would be divided into two companies, the first of which would include the most unprofitable divisions, and the second - the most profitable Chevrolet and Cadillac. In particular, in 2009 GM planned to sell unprofitable Opel, and one of the contenders for the purchase was a consortium of Magna International and Russian Sberbank. However, in early November, GM decided to keep Opel, citing the industry emerging from the crisis and unwillingness to leave the small car market.
In late 2010, GM held one of the largest public offerings in history. During the placement, the governments of the United States and Canada, which became the main shareholders in bankruptcy in 2009, sold their shares for a total of $23.1 billion.
GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 35 countries around the world. Subdivisions General Motors, among other things, serve and sell a group of the following brands: Baojun (Baojun), Buick (Buick), Cadillac (Cadillac), Chevrolet (Chevrolet), GMC (GMC), Daewoo (Daewoo), Holden, Isuzu (Isuzu), Opel (Opel), Vauxhall (Vauxhall) and Wulin (Wuling).
The largest GM markets in the world are China, USA, Brazil, UK, Germany, Canada, Italy, Russia, Mexico and Uzbekistan.
On Russian market GM has been present since 1992. General Motors is owned car assembly plant in St. Petersburg, in Shushary, opened in November 2008. GM's total investment in the manufacturing complex is estimated at $300 million. Plant construction began on June 13, 2006; at the first stage (assembly of 70,000 machines per year), the investment in the project amounted to $115 million. Installation of equipment began in January 2008, a trial start of production took place in September, and the official opening of the enterprise on November 7, 2008. President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev attended the grand opening ceremony of GM Shushary.
The production capacity is 60,000 vehicles. The plant produces 4 models - Chevrolet Captiva, Chevrolet Cruze, Opel Antara and Opel Astra.
In addition, General Motors is a partner Russian automaker OJSC AVTOVAZ on the joint venture GM-AVTOVAZ, which produces SUVs Chevrolet NIVA. CJSC GM-AVTOVAZ, founded in 2001, is the first joint automobile manufacturing company in modern Russia.
In 2011, the American automaker General Motors sold 9.026 million vehicles, up 7.6% from last year.
In 2011, sales of General Motors in Russia amounted to 243,265 vehicles, which is 53% higher than in 2010.
The main shareholders of the company for May, 2011 - the US Department of the Treasury (35.5%), the United Automobile Workers Union of the USA (OPRAP) (10.3%), Canada Gen Investments (9%).
Ford motor company
The company was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford, who created it, having received $28,000 from five investors to develop the business. Ford is known for being the first in the world to use the classic car assembly line.
The first model produced by the company to gain mass recognition was the Ford Model T, produced in 1908-1927.
In the late 1920s, the leadership of the USSR concluded an agreement with the company on assistance in the construction of an automobile plant in Nizhny Novgorod. The first cars of the new Soviet automobile plant - GAZ-A and GAZ-AA, were licensed copies of Ford cars.
In the late 1930s, the company did not enjoy the confidence of the US military due to the founder's undisguised pro-Nazi sympathies. In the 1930s, Ford built a production facility on the territory of Nazi Germany, which produced 12,000 tracked and 48,000 wheeled vehicles for the needs of the Wehrmacht. The head of the company was awarded the highest award of the Third Reich. However, with the entry of the United States into World War II, the company began producing army trucks and jeeps for American troops (no longer of its own design - the Ford GPW was adapted version Willys MB), acted as a subcontractor in the US tank building program.
Ford modified the 6.8 liter Triton V-10 internal combustion engine of an E-450 bus to run on hydrogen in 2004. Engine power 235 hp
Internal combustion engines modified to run on hydrogen are called hydrogen in an internal combustion engine (H2ICE) in English.
Hydrogen storage tanks are supplied by the Canadian company Dynetek. The tanks store hydrogen gas at a pressure of 350 bar, equivalent to 30 gallons of gasoline. Range on one gas station 240 km.
The bus carries 12 passengers.
As of August 2008, twenty hydrogen-powered E-450s are in operation in North America.
Ford takes an active part in sports competitions around the world. The company has its own rally team and has been actively supplying engines to other teams.
The company produces a wide range of passenger cars and commercial vehicles under the brands Ford "(Ford), Lincoln" (Lincoln), "Mercury" (Mercury). Ford has a stake in the Japanese car manufacturer Mazda.
The Russian subsidiary of Ford (ZAO Ford Motor Company) owns an automobile plant in the city of Vsevolozhsk (Leningrad Region), which assembles cars Ford Focus and Ford Mondeo.
In February 2011, it was announced the creation of a joint venture between Ford and the Russian automaker Sollers - Ford Sollers.
Previously, the automaker owned such brands as Aston Martin (Aston Martin), Jaguar (Jaguar), Land Rover ( Land Rover), "Volvo" (Volvo).
In the second quarter of 2007, Ford Motor Company sold the Aston Martin division to a consortium of investors for $848 million.
In March 2008, it became known about the sale concern Ford brands Jaguar and Land Rover of the Indian company Tata for $2.3 billion.
In March 2010, Ford Motor Company sold Swedish concern Volvo Chinese car company Geely for $1.8 billion.
At the end of 2011, Ford's net profit amounted to $20.2 billion, reaching the highest level since 1998.
Sales of Ford cars in Russia in 2011 increased by 30% compared to the same period of the previous year - up to 118,031 thousand units.
Volkswagen
Founded in 1934 in Germany. The history of the Volkswagen concern began in the autumn of 1933 in one of the halls of the Kaiserhof Hotel (German: Kaiserhof) in Berlin. There were three interlocutors: Adolf Hitler (German: Adolf Hitler), Jacob Werlin (German: Jacob Werlin), a representative of Daimler-Benz, and Ferdinand Porsche (German: Ferdinand Porsche). Hitler put forward the demand: to create for the German people a strong and reliable car, costing no more than 1000 Reichsmarks. Also, the car must be assembled at a new plant, embodying the new Germany. On a piece of paper, he sketched, outlined the main points of the program and asked for the name of the designer who would be responsible for the execution of the government order. Jacob Werlin proposed the candidacy of Ferdinand Porsche. The future car was named so - "Volks-Wagen" ("people's car").
On January 17, 1934, Ferdinand Porsche sent the prototype drawings to " people's car”, Created on the basis of the previously developed Porsche Typ 60, to the Reich Chancellery of Germany.
In June 1934, a contract was signed between the RDA (German: Reichsverband der Automobilindustrie) or "German Automobile Association", and "Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche GmbH "(Konstruktionen und Beratungen für Motoren und Fahrzeugbau) - the company of Ferdinand Porsche, to develop three prototypes of the "people's car". The monthly budget of the project amounted to 20 thousand Reichsmarks with a time limit of 10 months for all developments. The following data should be taken into account as the main characteristics: 5 seats, track width - 1200 mm, distance between axles - 2500 mm, maximum power- 26 hp, maximum speed - 3500 rpm, unloaded weight - 650 kg, sale price - 1550 Reichsmarks, maximum speed - 100 km / h, maximum slope - 30%, average fuel consumption - 8 liters per 100 km.
Despite the already existing design and experience, the need to meet the established framework delayed the work for two years. The prototypes were only ready in September 1936: the two-door V1, the V2 convertible (commissioned by Hitler) and the four-door V3. 50 thousand kilometers of test run did not reveal any serious flaws in the cars, and Porsche was given an order for the next 30 prototypes, which were produced at the Daimler-Benz plant. Testing of new prototypes was entrusted to DAF (German Deutsche Arbeitsfront) (German Labor Front) - the Nazi trade union organization. And the control over testing and the adoption of the final decision on its results were carried out directly by the SS employees (German SS or Schutzstaffel).
On May 28, 1937, the Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens GmbH (Limited Liability Company for the Preparation of the German People's Car) was founded and, later, on September 16, 1938, renamed Volkswagenwerk GmbH.
In 1939, two models were produced to demonstrate the factory's production capabilities, the V38s ("trial model") and the V39s ("demonstration model"). They already showed the changes made in the design, such as improved door hinges and enlarged door handles, the presence of two rear windows in the cabin, etc. But, KdF-Wagen could not become a mass production car due to the presence of large military orders and the outbreak of World War II.
In addition to the Volkswagen brand cars themselves, the group of the same name owns such car brands as Bentley (Bentley), Bugatti (Bugatti), Lamborghini (Lamborghini), Audi (Audi), Skoda (Skoda), " Seat" (Seat) and "Scania" (Scania).
December 2009 volkswagen acquired a 49.9% stake in Porsche for 3.9 billion euros.
In January 2009, Volkswagen AG established Volkswagen Group Rus LLC, which merged two Russian subsidiaries - Volkswagen Group Rus and Volkswagen Rus.
Since November 2007 Volkswagen Group Rus has been building cars in Kaluga, 170 km southwest of Moscow. His design productive capacity is 150,000 cars per year. The plant produces cars of Volkswagen, Skoda brands.
The net profit of the German automotive concern Volkswagen AG in 2011 more than doubled compared to 2010 - up to 15.4 billion euros.
The group's revenue in 2011 increased by 25.6%, reaching 159.3 billion euros.
The firm was founded by Carl Friedrich Rapp in October 1913, initially as an aircraft engine manufacturer, Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke. The district of Munich - Milbertshofen was chosen because it was located close to the Flugmaschinenfabrik of Gustav Otto - a German aircraft manufacturer. Since 1929, blue and white round emblem BMW, which is still in use today, for convenience, begins to be interpreted as an airplane propeller against a blue sky. The company currently claims that the white and blue colors in the logo are taken from the flag of Bavaria.
Powerful in the pre-war era, the BMW concern found itself in a critical situation after the Second World War, largely due to the ban on the production of aircraft engines that formed the basis of its business and the destruction or occupation of the concern's factories in Munich and Eisenach by Germany's enemies in the world war. Thus, the Munich plant Milbertshofen, according to the decision of the American occupying forces, was subject to demolition. Like other German car companies whose industrial base was destroyed by World War II, it took years for BMW to revive as a serious car manufacturer: it wasn't until 1962 that the company launched a car that enabled it to accomplish this task.
BMW's strategy in the post-war years was to try to improve things by producing low-powered motorcycles, since the Allies allowed BMW to produce motorcycles up to 250 cc after the war. see, as well as large and comfortable sedans. However, market conditions and the attempts made by BMW management to restore the production of aircraft engines led to BMW to the very edge of the abyss and almost ended in the establishment of control over it by the eternal competitor - Mercedes-Benz.
However, the company's staff managed to save BMW through the release of household goods and bicycles, which was reflected in the decision of the Americans to cancel the decision to demolish the plant and the subsequent permit for the production of light motorcycles. So in 1948, the R24 motorcycle from Munich became the first post-war BMW product. Like its predecessor of the 1930s, the R24 was equipped with a proprietary cardan transmission BMW, painted black and had a white sidecar upholstery.
Unlike its predecessor, this product had a single-cylinder engine with a displacement of only 247 cc. see, a much lower price, and, as a result, was much more accessible and in great demand among Germans in need of vehicles.
By 1951, BMW was producing more than 18 thousand of these motorcycles a year, which made a profit and allowed the development of a new model - the R51 already with a 2-cylinder boxer engine
Currently under BMW control Group has three global brands: BMW (BMW), Mini (MINI) and Rolls-Royce (Rolls-Royce).
In Russia, BMW cars are assembled at the Avtotor plant in the Kaliningrad region.
From January to September 2011, BMW's net profit amounted to 4.1 billion euros, which is 2 times higher than in 2010 of 2.032 billion euros. The automaker's revenue for the nine months of 2011 increased by 15.4% - up to 50.47 billion euros. Car sales increased by 16% to 1.232 million units.
Toyota Motor
In 1933, the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works established a new branch specializing in the manufacture of automobiles; Kiichiro Toyoda became its leader. In 1929, Kiichiro Toyoda traveled to Europe and the United States to study the automobile industry, and in 1930 began developing automobiles with gasoline engine. The Japanese government strongly encouraged such an initiative by Toyoda Automatic Loom Works. In 1934, the company produced its first Type A engine, which was used in the first A1 passenger car in May 1935 and in the G1 truck in August 1935. Production of the AA model passenger car began in 1936. Early models resembled the pre-existing Dodge Power Wagon and Chevrolet models.
Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. was founded as an independent company in 1937. Despite the fact that the name of the founders of the company sounds like Toyoda, in order to simplify pronunciation and as a symbol of the separation of business from family life, it was decided to give the company the name "Toyota". In Japan, the name "Toyota" (???) is considered a more successful name than "Toyoda" (??), since 8 is considered a number that brings good luck, and the word "Toyota", written in katakana, just consists of 8 strokes.
During the Second World War, the company was practically only engaged in the production of trucks for the Japanese Imperial Army. Due to severe shortages in Japan at that time, military trucks were made in the most simplified versions, for example, with one headlight. Some believe that the war ended quickly because of the Allied bombing in the city of Aichi, which destroyed the Toyota factories.
After the war, in 1947, the production of commercial passenger cars of the SA model began. In 1950, a separate sales company, Toyota Motor Sales Co., was established. (it lasted until July 1982). In April 1956, the Toyopet dealer network was established. In 1957, Toyota Crown became the first Japanese car to be exported to America (not only to the USA, but also to Brazil).
Toyota began to expand at a rapid pace in the 1960s. The first Toyota car produced outside of Japan left the assembly line in April 1963 in Melbourne, Australia.
The company produces cars under the brands Toyota (Toyota), Lexus (Lexus), Daihatsu (Daihatsu).
In April 2005, Toyota signed an agreement with the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia and the administration of St. Petersburg on construction in the city (Shushary industrial zone) car factory. Production was opened on December 21, 2007. In the first quarter of 2007 year Toyota Motor produced and sold more cars for the first time than General Motors. GM held the title of "the world's largest automaker" for 76 years. But in recent years, GM, like other American automakers, experienced a crisis and was forced to cut production - the vacant market place is occupied by competitors, and primarily Toyota. On April 24, the Japanese company announced that it produced 2.37 million vehicles in the first quarter and sold 2.35 million vehicles. Thus, for the first time, it outstripped GM, whose respective figures were 2.34 million and 2.26 million vehicles.
In May 2009, the company ended its financial year with a loss, not seen since 1950. Toyota Motor Corporation's net profit for the 2010-2011 financial year (ended March 31, 2011) increased by 95% to 408.18 billion yen ($5.06 billion), revenue grew by 0.2% to 18.99 trillion yen ($235 billion).
In May 2012, Toyota once again broke into first place, overtaking Volkswagen and General Motors.
Peugeot-Citroën PSA
The auto giant was formed by the purchase by Peugeot of a 90 percent stake in Citroën in 1976.
PSA Peugeot Citroën produces cars under the Peugeot and Citroen brands. The two brands owned by the company have independent promotion structures and retail sales networks; however, the development and production of models is carried out by common divisions.
The total number of personnel is 211.7 thousand people.
In 2007, the company's total sales amounted to 3.23 million cars (in 2006 - 3.36 million), revenue amounted to 60.6 billion euros (56.5 billion euros), net profit - 885 million euros (176 million euros)
In Russia, Peugeot-Citroen, together with Mitsubishi, on April 23, 2010 launched the production of cars in the Kaluga region with a capacity of 125 thousand units per year.
At the end of 2011, PSA's net profit fell by about half - to 588 million euros from 1.13 billion euros at the end of 2010.
For 2012, PSA Peugeot Citroën has a two-level management system, unchanged in its structure since 1972, and inherited by the concern from Peugeot S.A., as the initiator of the merger.
The managerial level is responsible for strategic and operational management.
Composition of the top management at the end of 2011 (15 people):
Top manager - Philippe Varen.
Deputies for the main strategic areas, 3 people: Gregoire Olivier (Asia direction), Frédéric Saint-Jour (brands), Guillaume Faury (research and development).
Management Committee, 6 people: Chief Secretary, responsible for supply, production and technological processes, programs, human resources and quality, finance.
Renault S.A.
The company was founded in France in 1898 by Louis Renault. Headquarters - in the suburbs of Paris.
In 1999, Renault acquired 36.8% Nissan, Nissan, in turn, received 15% of Renault.
The company produces cars under the brands Renault, Samsung, Dacia.
Renault in Russia owns 94.1% of the Avtoframos automobile plant. The company has been producing Renault Logan cars since 2005.
In autumn 2010, the company launched the production of Megane and Fluence models. In production, the SKD method is used.
In 2008, Renault acquired a blocking stake in AvtoVAZ (25% plus one share).
In February 2012, the Renault-Nissan alliance announced its intention to increase its stake in AvtoVAZ to a controlling one.
At the end of 2011, the net profit of the French automobile concern Renault decreased by 39% - to 2.14 billion euros. The manufacturer's revenue for 2011 increased by 9.4% - up to 42.6 billion euros.
Nissan company in the first nine months of fiscal year 2012 reduced its net profit by 7.75% compared to the same period in fiscal year 2011 - up to 266 billion yen (3.47 billion dollars).
