AUTOMOBILES - A STATIC TECHNOLOGY, A WAIT-AND-SEE INDUSTRY

This paper presents a global analysis of the key factors that could de termine the scope of technological innovation in the automotive indust ry. It argues that most social, economic, industrial and technical fea tures of this industry play against any radical innovation such as, fo r example, the electric vehicle. It emphasises the 'blocking' role of heavy capital investment, massive employment, infrastructure, consumer s' constraints, etc. It contributes to the theoretical debate an techn ological inertia.