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The dual-credit policy is regarded as an important measure in the postsubsidy era of energy conservation and emission reduction in the auto industry and is concerned with all aspects of society. In this paper, a research and development cooperation model of the duopoly supply chain between suppliers and manufacturers in the automotive industry is constructed, and the influence of the double integral policy on the research and development cooperation between suppliers and manufacturers in the automotive industry is discussed based on the power perspective theory in the supply chain. The results show that cooperation is more effective than noncooperation in promoting both parties' R&D investment in fuel economy, as well as the fuel economy of the final product. The government should encourage R&D cooperation in the upstream and downstream of the supply chain of the automotive industry. The influence on the R&D cooperation between the supplier and the manufacturer was the combined effect of fuel consumption saving. The government's intention to formulate a dual-credit policy to guide the R&D cooperation behavior in the auto industry supply chain should consider not only the impact of credit unit price but also the public' consciousness of fuel saving and environmental protection. The combined effect of fuel consumption saving on the R&D cooperation led by different powers, which meant that the government was aiming to encourage R&D cooperation, should consider different situations in the auto industry supply chain to formulate the dual-credit policy to adjust the supply and demand relationship of the dual-credit policy to affect the credit unit price, thus affecting the combined effect of fuel consumption saving, encouraging R&D cooperation in the auto industry supply chain, and realizing energy conservation and emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decade, the plea for corporate sustainability has gathered momentum and protecting the environment is one aspect for organizations to address if they are to conduct business in a sustainable manner. In this paper, we present the results of a questionnaire survey on the state of corporate sustainability within the South African automotive industry. The survey focused on the meaning and relevance of sustainability to South African automotive companies, and their use of different approaches to implement sustainability in corporate practice. On this score, the paper seeks to analyze and compare the levels of voluntary environmental initiatives between large and small and medium-sized enterprises within the automotive milieu. Survey results reveal that a majority of automotive companies have sought to improve their environmental performance by integrating environmental considerations into their core activities. Although the majority of these companies have standardized EMSs, our analysis reveals considerable differences between companies' approaches to corporate sustainability. In particular, they varied in the extent to which procedures were formalized and documented behind the corporate rhetoric of a high commitment to sustainability. The paper concludes by prescribing a number of recommendations as to how to engage and promote more widely the South African automobile manufacturing companies in environmental change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution prevention (P2) has played an integral role in the development and implementation of technologies designed to prevent the amount of waste generated at a facility. The idea of P2 was later expanded by determining minimum system material and energy requirements, thus reducing the amount of raw materials and economic investment needed. This principle, which considers environmental and economic elements, was termed profitable P2 (P3). This paper, which further expands on the principles of P2 and P3, focuses on utilizing the idea of collaborative P3 (CP3) to aid in decision-making toward sustainable development. CP3 includes a system modeling and analysis methodology, which provides industrial decision-makers with the ability to assess the industrial units’ state of sustainability, evaluate future production options, and aid in the selection of the production plan with the best possibility of working toward the sustainable development of not only a single unit, but also of the overall industrial zone. To demonstrate the efficacy of the methodology, a comprehensive study on sustainable development of an auto-manufacturing focused industrial zone is illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese economy is growing rapidly, but accompanying such growth are issues of environmental protection and social inequity which must be addressed. With the Automobile Industry Development Policy and the Motor Vehicle Product Recovery Technology Policy, an automobile products recoverability target has been established and will be incorporated into an automobile products authentication management system in China. By 2010, for all end-of-life automobile products, reuse and recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 85% by average weight per vehicle, and the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium is prohibited. This paper will address the sustainable recycling of Chinese automobile products within the period of 2006-2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a synthetic, brief review of the literature, reports and references on the transformation of the automotive industry into zero-emission cars, in particular electric cars. It analyzes the technological and economic aspects of changes in the automotive industry regarding the transformation to zero-emission cars. Despite great de-emission parameters, the production of electric cars does not have a zero carbon footprint. The acquisition of critical elements, their production and the production of other components and materials needed for their construction have an environmental impact. The supply chains of materials for the construction of batteries for electric cars are characterized by significant risks related to, among others, a lack of diversification and limited flexibility. The dominant supplier of rare elements for batteries is China. The article analyzes the impact of prices on the demand for electric cars and compares them to internal combustion cars. Research shows that most electric cars are sold in China, the USA and Europe (about 95% of the supply). The costs of cars are of great importance, which, given the current reduction in the purchasing power of consumers, make the forecasts of the dynamic growth of electromobility very cautious, and even stagnation in the purchase of electric cars is expected in the second half of 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the self-declared energy and environmental protection objectives of many car manufacturers responsible companies must use energy-efficient production technologies. The running costs of production sites are a decisive factor in the overhead of automotive production. Therefore, it is important for many operators to reduce those costs in a sustainable way. For this purpose, they attempt to reduce both the energy consumption costs and CO 2 emissions of production systems. However, most components of the energy costs are determined during the very early phases of the product creation process. To achieve an estimation of the energy consumption in this early planning stage, a new suitable forecasting method is required. Therefore, this paper presents an approach for determining the prospective energy consumption by using Methods-Energy Measurement combined with defined energy reference cycles for manufacturing technologies. With this approach, key performance indicators are defined, and the production technologies are divided into basic energy consumers. The average energy values will be determined empirically by using the defined energy reference cycles. With these data, the energy demands for different scenarios are calculated. Thereby, it is possible to estimate the potential energy consumption of complex manufacturing cells. The designed method is validated within a case study of a modern automotive body shop. In summary, the approach contributes to identify and realize sustainable solutions in advance and thus increase the profitability of a factory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global technical harmonization is considered a driver of international competitiveness of the European automotive industry, with improving global competitiveness of European industry and creating automotive jobs in terms of environmental protection and road safety. The global economic crisis, the European Union had to take some measures to protect the automotive sector, using the investment in innovative technologies to facilitate consumer credit, and financial incentives for people who choose to sell old car and buy a new one. Referring to the importance of the issues examined in Europe today, automotive industry become very substantial, competition is fierce and the pace of change is emphasized. Thus, we have presented in this paper the general characteristics of the motor car industry in Europe and how it was influenced by the global crisis, and then to review the evolution of this sector in Romania and how they are feeling the crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article stresses the importance of communication processes as a fundamental basis for interest coordination in Rhenish Capitalism. Using the example of public relations work of the German automotive industry during the 1960s and 1970s, the article shows that a long dominant consensus about automobility as a guarantee for economic growth and social prosperity began to unravel as the negative aspects of mass motorisation came under public scrutiny. Older asymmetric concepts of corporate communication based on manipulative lobbying efforts and agenda setting strategies were superseded by an 'issue management' approach that took the collective interests of the public seriously. These confrontational but also responsive patterns of communication strengthened the institutional arrangements in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of Chinese national economy, the number of car ownership in China increases sharply in last decades. More recently, as a consequence, a large number of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) emerge. To meet the demands of environmental protection and cycling economy implementation, the development of ELV recycling industry is of primary importance and great urgency. In this context, we have performed the construction and investment analysis of ELV disassembly plant in China, on the basis of a typical case study. To match up the current ELV recycling industry in China, a new ELV disassembly process, with destructive disassembly and non-destructive one combined, was proposed and illustrated in detail. Building on the comprehensive subitems analysis, the investment and economic benefit were decomposed and calculated. The goal of this study is to develop a suitable ELV disassembly sequence for Chinese ELV disassembly industry and provide a beneficial reference for the investment of ELV recycling business. It represents a substantial innovation and will advance the development level of China's ELV recycling industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the United States automakers' moral responsibility to reduce U.S.-based green-house-gas emissions. Environmental consequences of consumers' use of gasoline for personal transportation and their preference for larger vehicles; Automakers' corporate social responsibility to promote environmentally-friendly vehicles and transportation systems.