The automotive industry is a major pillar of the modern global economy
and Europe is one of the key players. It has a unique role to play in
Europe in - ployment, manufacturing, R&D, transportation and investment,
and there are crucial challenges and opportunities ahead. We shed light
on a broad range of issues - globalisation and restructuring, trade and
foreign direct investment (no- bly in China and Russia), innovation,
regulation, and industry policy - and put a special focus on the new
member states. While change may be inevitable, progress is not. This
book shall serve as a map to all stakeholders: business executives,
policy makers, investors and scholars. th The contents originate from
the 8 European Competitiveness Report 2004 p- ject of the European
Commission. They document the contribution made at the Zentrum für
Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW) - Centre for European Economic
Resarch - in Mannheim, Germany, in cooperation with several external
researchers. We as editors wish to mention and sincerely thank the many
persons and institutions who have helped us in this effort. Special
thanks go to the c- tributors: Thomas Cleff (Professor at the University
of Applied Sciences in Pfo- heim, Germany), Stefan Lutz (then researcher
at the Centre for European E- nomic Resarch, Mannheim, Germany), Alfred
Spielkamp (Professor at the U- versity of Applied Sciences in
Gelsenkirchen, Germany) and Waltraud Urban (Vienna Institute for
International Economic Studies in Vienna, Austria).
