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Costs, Technology, and Productivity in the U.S. Automobile Industry

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Author Info
Ann F. Friedlaender
Clifford Winston
Kung Wang

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Abstract

This article analyzes the structure of costs, technology, and productivity in the U.S. automobile industry by estimating a general hedonic joint cost function for domestic automotive production for the Big Three American automobile producers: General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. In general it is found that costs are highly sensitive to the scale and composition of output, with General Motors and Chrysler experiencing an output configuration that exhibits increasing returns to scale and economies of joint production. On the other hand, Chrysler's recent productivity growth is found to be far below that of General Motors. Although Ford's cost structure is not so advantageous as General Motors', its recent productivity growth suggests that it can remain an effective competitor in the domestic automotive market.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by The RAND Corporation in its journal Bell Journal of Economics.

Volume (Year): 14 (1983)
Issue (Month): 1 (Spring)
Pages: 1-20
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Handle: RePEc:rje:bellje:v:14:y:1983:i:spring:p:1-20

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  1. Melvyn Fuss & Leonard Waverman, 1986. "The Canada-U.S. Auto Pact of 1965: An Experiment in Selective Trade Liberalization," NBER Working Papers 1953, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Melvyn A. Fuss & Leonard Waverman, 1991. "The Extent and Sources of Cost and Efficiency Differences Between U.S. and Japanese Automobile Producers," NBER Working Papers 1849, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. de Melo, Jaime & Tarr, David, 1990. "Do wage distortions justify protection in the U.S. auto and steel industries?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 517, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  4. Melvyn A. Fuss & Leonard Waverman, 1991. "Productivity Growth in the Automobile Industry, 1970-1980: A Comparisonof Canada, Japan and the United States," NBER Working Papers 1735, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Jan van Dalen & Ben Bode, 2004. "Quality-corrected price indices: the case of the Dutch new passenger car market, 1990-1999," Applied Economics, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 36(11), pages 1169-1197, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. AMIR, Rabah, 2003. "Market structure, scale economies and industry performance," CORE Discussion Papers 2003065, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Ernst R. Berndt & Ann F. Friedlaender & Judy Shaw-Er Wang Chiang, 1990. "Interdependent Pricing and Markup Behavior: An Empirical Analysis of GM, Ford and Chrysler," NBER Working Papers 3396, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. de Melo, Jaime & Tarr, David, 1991. "VERs under imperfect competition and foreign direct investment : a case study of the U.S. - Japan auto VER," Policy Research Working Paper Series 667, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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