Introduction
PLUNKETT'S AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY ALMANAC,
the third edition of our guide to the automotive field, is designed
as a general source for researchers of all types.
The data and areas of interest covered
are intentionally broad, ranging from the trends relating to
automotive sales, to emerging technology, to an in-depth look
at the 400 major for-profit firms (which we call “THE
AUTOMOBILE 400”) within the many industry sectors
that make up the automotive arena.
This reference book is designed to
be a general source for researchers. It is especially intended
to assist with market research, strategic planning, employment
searches, contact or prospect list creation (be sure to see
the export capabilities of the accompanying CD-ROM that is available
to book and eBook buyers) and financial research, and as a data
resource for executives and students of all types.
PLUNKETT'S AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY
ALMANAC takes a rounded approach for the general reader.
This book presents a complete overview of the entire automobile
and truck industry (see “How To Use This Book”).
For example, you will find trends in the passenger car, light
truck and heavy truck markets, along with easy-to-use charts
and tables on all facets of automobiles in general, from the
sales and profits of the automakers to average gasoline prices.
THE AUTOMOBILE 400
is our unique grouping of the biggest, most successful corporations
in all segments of the global automotive industry, including
cars, trucks, components, specialty vehicles and related services.
Tens of thousands of pieces of information, gathered from a
wide variety of sources, have been researched and are presented
in a unique form that can be easily understood. This section
includes thorough indexes to THE AUTOMOBILE 400,
by geography, industry, sales, brand names, subsidiary names
and many other topics. (See Chapter 4.)
Especially helpful is the way in
which PLUNKETT'S AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY ALMANAC enables
readers who have no business background to readily compare the
financial records and growth plans of large automotive companies
and major industry groups. You’ll see the mid-term financial
record of each firm, along with the impact of earnings, sales
and strategic plans on each company’s potential to fuel
growth, to serve new markets and to provide investment and employment
opportunities.
No other source provides this book’s
easy-to-understand comparisons of growth, expenditures, technologies,
corporations and many other items of great importance to people
of all types who may be studying this, one of the largest industries
in the world today.
By scanning the data groups and the
unique indexes, you can find the best information to fit your
personal research needs. The major growth companies in automobiles
are profiled and then ranked using several different groups
of specific criteria. Which firms are the biggest employers?
Which companies earn the most profits? These things and much
more are easy to find.
In addition to individual company
profiles, an overview of automotive markets and trends is provided.
This book’s job is to help you sort through easy-to-understand
summaries of today’s trends in a quick and effective manner.
Whatever your purpose for researching
the automotive field, you’ll find this book to be a valuable
guide. Nonetheless, as is true with all resources, this volume
has limitations that the reader should be aware of:
-
Financial data and other corporate
information can change quickly. A book of this type can be
no more current than the data that was available as of the
time of editing. Consequently, the financial picture, management
and ownership of the firm(s) you are studying may have changed
since the date of this book. For example, this almanac includes
the most up-to-date sales figures and profits available to
the editors as of mid-2005. That means that we have typically
used corporate financial data as of the end of 2004.
-
Corporate mergers, acquisitions
and downsizing are occurring at a very rapid rate. Such events
may have created significant change, subsequent to the publishing
of this book, within a company you are studying.
-
Some of the companies in THE
AUTOMOBILE 400 are so large in scope and in variety
of business endeavors conducted within a parent organization,
that we have been unable to completely list all subsidiaries,
affiliations, divisions and activities within a firm’s
corporate structure.
-
This volume is intended to be
a general guide to a vast industry. That means that researchers
should look to this book for an overview and, when conducting
in-depth research, should contact the specific corporations
or industry associations in question for the very latest changes
and data. Where possible, we have listed contact names, toll-free
telephone numbers and World Wide Web site addresses for the
companies, government agencies and industry associations involved
so that the reader may get further details without unnecessary
delay.
-
Tables of industry data and
statistics used in this book include the latest numbers available
at the time of printing, generally through the end of 2004.
In a few cases, the only complete data available was for earlier
years.
-
We have used exhaustive efforts
to locate and fairly present accurate and complete data. However,
when using this book or any other source for business and
industry information, the reader should use caution and diligence
by conducting further research where it seems appropriate.
We wish you success in your endeavors, and we trust that your
experience with this book will be both satisfactory and productive.
