The Challenges of the European Automotive Industry at the Beginning of the 21st Century. Summary of the main findings of the CoCKEAS project

The paper presents the main conclusions of the CoCKEAS European project (Coordinating Competencies and Knowledge in the European Automobile System). It analyses the main changes in the organisation of the European automotive system, not only in the relationships between carmakers and their first tier suppliers, but also in the relations they have with the other actors (upstream and downstream). It discusses the issues associated to the intangible dimension of this industry (financialisation and services), its new geography, and, finally, its distinctivness compared with is competitors (USA and Japan).