Global Economy and Competition: Engineering Challenges of the 90's

The issue of how to face global competition in the automotive industry is addressed, with particular emphasis on safety, quality, and economy. The author discusses some of the problems encountered by engineers in the design of new vehicles because they must deal with economic boundary conditions as well as technical boundary conditions. Also, the need for further increases in fuel efficiency is examined in the context of the automotive industry being in the midst of a transition period.