This study is about the struggle for survival among the assembler and components firms which constitute the European automobile industry. The book describes and explains the competitive, structural, organizational and technological changes being made and outlines the spatial and economic effects of these changes. The empirical core of the book is a study of the number of technology fields in automobile components. These sections draw on up-to-date research carried out by the authors in Europe, through which they evaluate the extent to which lean production techniques have permeated the assemblers and components industry.