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.
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As it gears up for the future, Ford to add 1,200 workers in Flat Rock
Ford's $555-million investment at the renamed Flat Rock Assembly Plant will start paying off next spring with the hiring of a second shift of 1,200 workers to add production of the 2013 Ford Fusion.
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GM Plans to Hire About 10,000 IT Workers Over Five Years
General Motors Co. (GM), as part of its effort to increase its internal information technology abilities, said it will hire about 10,000 workers over the next three to five years.
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Government sets strict fuel-economy goal of 54.5 by 2025
Strict new federal fuel-economy and carbon-emission standards made final Tuesday are the biggest technological challenge to the auto industry since the government began regulating emissions in 1970 and mileage in 1975.
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Expansion of GM plant in Arlington hums right along
ARLINGTON -- So what will $530 million buy at the General Motors plant?
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A Test of Smart Cars Get a Connection Test in Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Federal regulators on Tuesday announced a yearlong “smart car” project to determine whether wireless communication between vehicles can improve safety on the nation’s highways.