Automobile industries

Although there has been much emphasis on the "globalisation" of the industry, automobile markets and production remain largely dependent on the economic, social and institutional characteristics of territories. The reconfiguration of the geographic organization of the automobile industry thus merits analysis with research focusing on territories. This includes consideration of the dynamics of assembly operations, of OEMs and of the supplier base covering both questions of production and conception. Also of interest are the overall processes by which markets for vehicles emerge and the automobile business structures and restructures itself. These processes involve the interaction of public and private actors that structures the dynamics of supply and demand and thus require an analysis of public policies related to the automobile.