ABSTRACT
The chapter depicts the evolution of Argentinean automotive industry in order to: identify the various phases of its development, present its functioning mode in each of them and expose the determinants of the transitions from each phase to the one that followed. The resulting periodization distinguishes three phases. The first one goes from 1914 to mid-1950s, and it is characterized by simple activities of assembly of imported kits, complemented by imports of finished vehicles. This local phase corresponds to the global prevalence of mass production in manufacturing. The spread and consolidation of modern industry in a global scale after WWII explains much of the transition to a second phase in Argentina, during which most of the productive processes already in place in classic countries (such as metallic parts stamping, machining of parts and assembly of motors, transmission kits and other components) were added as activities in the 58 terminal companies locally present. Finally, a third stage, marked by regional integration in the Mercado Común del Sur (MERCOSUR), corresponds to the organizational changes that derived from the global microelectronics revolution and robotization of productive processes.
KEYWORDS: Automotive industry; Manufacture; Modern industry; New international division of labor.
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