The Automotive Industry Under Suspicion

Introducing the second part of the book, this chapter treats the automobile industry from a holistic perspective, discussing it as a propitious scenario for environmental fraud. Beyond the history of its development, the influence of thinkers and entrepreneurs such as Taylor and Ford in shaping the industry’s competition is also approached. In particular, the materializations of the notion of scientific management, as well as that of philosophies such as lean manufacturing, are discussed as fundamental factors in the constant pursuit for operational efficiency that characterizes the industry up until today. The chapter also broaches the economic organization of automobile production, pointing to its main players, their geographical distribution, and the power dynamics that are typical of this activity. In the same way, the social impacts of such products are surrounded, highlighting the relationship between brands, products, and consumers. The emotional value of automobiles is also discussed, together with the different importance it may hold among distinct publics (e.g. urban and rural consumers). In the end, an analysis of the competitive forces that reign the automobile industry is presented, corroborating the argument that the industry represents, in fact, a prosperous atmosphere for the occurrence of environmental fraud.