Auto executives are expecting yet another volatile and unpredictable year in the competitive car and truck business, influenced by outside investors, new foreign brands, global alliances, fuel concerns and even more bankruptcies, according to the eighth annual Global Auto Executive Survey by KPMG LLC, to be released to the public today.
KPMG, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, surveyed 150 senior-level executives from Detroit to Tokyo to Paris in 2006, and the findings shed light on how the industry's top leaders view the outlook in the fast-changing industry.
Overall, the outlook for Detroit wasn't good. Seventy-one percent of survey participants expect North American brands to lose global market share over the next five years. In 2005, 58% of respondents expected those brands to lose share. So 2006's results show a significant deterioration in outlook for brands such as Ford, Chevrolet and Chrysler.
At the same time, executives expect global market share to increase for Chinese (79%) and Indian (55%) brands. About 35% of respondents expect European brands to maintain their current share.
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