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.

 

 

 

  • GM to invest $133 million for production of mid-size pickups

    DETROIT- General Motors Co. will invest $133 million to add a third stamping press for production of its next-generation mid-size pickup trucks at its Wentzville Assembly and Stamping plant in Missouri.

    The Detroit-based automaker today said as part of the investment, which will create or retain approximately 55 jobs, will build and equip a 114,000-square-foot stamping plant addition to make manufacturing more flexible at the site. Construction will begin in July, and GM expects the press to be operational by early 2015.

  • Ford's original Mustang took different styling cues

    Ford introduced its iconic Mustang brand in 1964, but the original concept car didn’t look too much like the finished product.

    The concept car, which was dubbed Mustang 1, debuted in 1962. It had quite a few technical and styling cues that were different from the model that rolled off the assembly line in 1964. The car originally had a meager V4 engine under its hood and sleeker front end.

  • Ford's Marketing Chief Wants to Make Innovation Affordable

    Jim Farley, Ford’s evp of global marketing, sales and service, thinks it’s time to sell the most technologically advanced cars as products for the Everyman, much like Target offers high-concept design for the masses. Consumers, especially younger ones, will soon expect smart, fuel-efficient features in all models, and Farley thinks Ford, which has instituted the tagline “Go Further” in its marketing campaigns, can own that brand position. The progress is promising. The 2014 Ford Fiesta may be the most fuel-efficient, nonhybrid vehicle in North America. Still, the automaker’s brand vision of affordable green cars for everybody has not yet been realized. Farley talked with Adweek about the evolution of the enduring consumer brand.

  • GM Building in Milford Earns LEED Certification

    MILFORD, Mich. – A nearly 37,000-square-foot facility at General Motors’ Milford Proving Ground is now certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The facility, known as the proving ground’s administration building, is GM’s first brownfield site to earn the designation.

    The project involved nearly a complete demolition of the existing facility, focusing on LEED sustainable design and construction guidelines as well as strict GM green construction protocol.

  • Philly Is New Green Hotbed, Dallas Has Its Hands Full, New Yorkers Are Stargazing Based on Ford Escape Sales Trends

    DEARBORN, Mich., June 24, 2013 – Bucking longstanding trends, Philadelphians are going greener than all other major cities based on sales of the new Escape and Explorer equipped with Ford’s advanced, fuel-saving EcoBoost engine.

    San Francisco residents live up to their reputation as tech-savvy people by geeking out to MyFord Touch – Ford’s award-winning connectivity system – more than any other U.S. city. The rain in Seattle may be getting to the people who inhabit that city, as they opt for features that can help them drive more mindfully.