Motoring the Future: VW and Toyota Vying for Pole Position - Hardcover

Wimmer, Engelbert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0230299555 ISBN 13: 9780230299559

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011

Synopsis

Motoring the Future: VW and Toyota Vying for Pole Position deals with the challenges facing the global car industry today, analyzing Volkswagen and Toyota, with some surprising results. The book provides insights into each car manufacturer's corporate culture, products, production, leadership and technologies, as well as somethoughts on the future of the car.

These two opponents vying for pole position could hardly be more different: Toyota, with a focus on manufacturing excellence, is dominant in its home market, the USA and south-east Asia, whereas VW, with its strategy of product excellence, leads in western Europe, Brazil and China. Industrial dominance will be important to them in the future, with both companies needing to master the next steps in product and manufacturing excellence. The race is by no means over, offering a deep insight into the challenges for carmakers moving away from fossilfueled combustion to alternative energy vehicles for the mass market. Major players are trying to answer the key question: How will the car of the future look?

VW and Toyota now need to keep ambitious competitors at bay. Timing is everything: US manufacturers are focused on their own revival; Korean and Chinese players are progressing surprisingly fast. However, it looks like the battle for pole position will likely remain between Toyota and VW.

Motoring the Future offers updates on Volkswagen's and Toyota's next generation vehicles, both plotting a new course into the future. In this thoroughly revised edition the book, new facts and material have extended the scope to American manufacturers and to new competitors from the Far East.

About this title

Review:

'The German edition of this book, first published in September 2010, paints a skilled picture of the international market situation, and of Volkswagen's utter fixation on beating Toyota. What I particularly enjoyed was the way in which it managed to take into account very recent information, while maintaining its impressive depth of knowledge and longterm research. Despite the density of the material, however, the authors show their skill in handling it in a dynamic, lively fashion.' – Hubertus von Grünberg, about the German edition of this book in Handelsblatt, September 2010

'Engelbert Wimmer and his co-authors deal with the rancorous fight between VW and Toyota for the pole position in the worldwide automotive industry. The authors knowledgeably and critically dissect the very distinct strategies of both enterprises.
They are well balanced in their profound and down-to-earth analysis and acknowledge opportunities for VW beating Toyota but also point out the crucial success factors within VW's strategy and show Toyota's competitive advantages.' – Robert Fieten, about the German edition of this book in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, November 2010

'Engelbert Wimmer understands and writes about the auto industry with deep insight, built up over a long career advising carmakers. This book offers an in-depth and informed account of the race among big producers for global market dominance. It will make valuable reading for both industry professionals and interested outsiders.' – John Reed, Motor Industry Correspondent, Financial Times

Book Description:

Examines the exciting race between Toyota and Volkswagen as they compete to be world market leaders and analyzes the effects of the financial crisis on their potential to succeed

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0230299555
• ISBN 13: 9780230299559
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 285