The U.S. Auto Industry is a Leader in Research & Development

Automakers and their suppliers are the world’s third biggest investor in R&D. 

Designing and producing autos is a massive engineering challenge, which is why automakers and their suppliers invest approximately $130 billion in R&D each year – behind only pharmaceuticals and technology hardware.

 

 

American Automakers are Leaders in Research & Development and Innovation

In the U.S., automakers and their suppliers invested approximately $23 billion in 2018, representing approximately $1,333 of R&D for each car sold here that year, on average.

Over the past decade, automaker R&D has driven braking technology from anti-lock brakes (which help a driver brake faster) to electronic stability control (which keeps a vehicle moving safely when the driver has lost control), to automated emergency steering systems (which control braking, steering, and throttle functions)

Meanwhile, research into the use of new materials, better joining (welding, fasteners, adhesives), and fabrication could reduce a vehicle’s body weight by 10% to 20% from 2014 through 2020.

FCA, Ford, and General Motors each spend more per year than General Electric, Boeing, AT&T, and Tesla.

 

 

 

  • Ford Is Studying Space Robots To Make Smarter Cars

    Last week, Ford Motor F +0.24% Company announced that it is joining up with the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University in Russia on a three year project. Their mission? To study how robots communicate in space so that one day in the future, you’ll have a smarter car.

  • Bloomberg: General Motors to add wireless chargers on some 2014 car models

    Smartphone wireless chargers are easier to find than ever, but built-in inductive systems for cars? Those we don't see often. According to Bloomberg, General Motors will incorporate wireless charging systems for phones on some of its 2014 car models, joining the ranks of Toyota and Chrysler. Unlike the chargers aboard the 2013 Avalon and the Dodge Dart, however, GM's cars will (officially) be the first ones to use Powermat.

  • Ford, GM pursue the perfect paint job

    General Motors and Ford are touting the processes and efforts behind the perfect paint finish, which is the first thing to catch a prospective buyer’s eye and a huge source of complaints if a defect is detected.

    At GM, members of the Blue Suit Crew are trained experts in elaborate precautions to ensure that final vehicle paint finishes are pristine, while Ford is rolling out dirt detection technology across its plants to find and fix imperfections.

  • Ford Thinks Russian Space Robots Could Help Make Your Car Safer

    Few things are more important than a reliable connection in space. The communication system between the International Space Station and Earth is one of the most robust ever created. And that’s why Ford is tapping Russian researchers to learn how they maintain the flow of information to both the systems and their robot caretakers, and then apply it to create safer cars that talk to one another.

    For the next three years, Ford is partnering with the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University in Russia to study how its communication models with robots in space could influence more terrestrial undertakings like vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications here at home.