Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/245761
bac k o ffic e World class New North Global aims to boost manufacturing's reach outside the U.S. By Dave Thiel During 2013, North American automotive manufacturers were on target to sell 15.5 million vehicles in the U.S. Growth is expected to continue in the U.S. at a slower pace, but global sales are expected to increase by 22 percent during the next four years. – Dave Thiel 22 | The auto industry, one of the drivers of the U.S. economic recovery, has recovered from its low point in 2009 when it sold 10.4 million vehicles. During 2013, North American automotive manufacturers were on target to sell 15.5 million vehicles in the U.S. Growth is expected to continue in the U.S. at a slower pace, but global sales are expected to increase by 22 percent during the next four years. By 2018, the North American automotive manufacturers will be selling 100 million vehicles abroad. Significant opportunities will be in markets such as China, Thailand, Brazil and Chile, according to economist Charles Chesbrough of IHS Automotive. The automotive industry is a great / insight on manufacturing • January 2014 example of where the future growth for manufacturers will be. Just 4.5 percent of the world's population lives in the United States. Couple that with the fact that American products and services are respected worldwide for their quality, it is easy to understand that the future involves acquiring new customers from the other 95.5 percent of the world's population. The U.S. will still supply a good base of sales for many manufacturers, but the high-growth opportunities are in the emerging economies of the world, such as the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). The New North has many manufacturers making highquality parts for the North American automotive supply chain. In addition, there are many more manufacturers making high-quality products for other economic sectors such as food processing and packaging, or agricultural machinery and equipment, but do not sell their products outside of the U.S. Economic development professionals in the New North want to help them tap into a vast array of educational and funding resources available to businesses to w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g .c o m