Jean-Jacques Chanaron CNRS Director, GERPISA and CSU-IRESCO, Paris, France. Takahiro Fujimoto (University of Tokyo, Japan). Daniel M.G. Raff (Wharton School, USA).

• 1. Product Variety, Productive Organisation, and Industrial Models, Jean-Jacques Chananron and Yannick Lung. 2. G.M. and the Evolving Industrial Organisation of American Automobile Manufacturing in the Interwar Years, Daniel M.G. Raff. 3. Product Variety in the French Automobile Industry: A Look Through the Pat, Jean-Louid Loubet. 4. The Progressive Emergence of Product Variety in the Japanese Automobile Industry, Marie-Claude Belis-Bergouignan and Yannick Lung. 5. The Historical Evolution of Product Variety in the Auto Industry: An International Comparative Study, Bruno Jetin. 6. Beyond Flexibility: Toyta’s Robust Process-Flow Architecture, Kazuhiro Mishina. 7. A Flexible Organisation for Mini-Lot Production: The Emergence of Mini Carmakers in Japan, Masayoshi Ikeda and Yoichiro Nakagawa. 8. Developments in Assembly System Design: The Volvo Experience, Tomas Engstrom , Dan Jonsson and Lars Medbo. 9. Flexibility Thouroh Modularity: Experimentations with Fractal Production in Brazil and in Europe, Yannick Lung, Mario Sergio Salerno , Mauro Zilbovicius an Ana Valeria Carnerio Dias. 10. Capability Building in Over-Adaptation: A Case of ‘Fat Design’ in the Japanese Auto Industry, Takahiro Fujimoto. 11. Supplier Relations and Performance in Europe, Japan and in the US: The Effect of the Voice/Exit Choice, Mari Sako and Susan R. Helper. 12. Concurrent Enginneering and Institutional Learning: A Comparison of French and Japanese Component Suppliers m, Yveline Lecler , Jacques Perrin and Marie-Claire Villeval. 13. The Production, Distribution, and Repair of Automobiles: New Relationships and New Competencies, Jean-Jacues Chanaron and Bernard Jullien. 14. Inter-Firm Relationships and Industrial Models, Etienne de Banville and Jean-Jacques Chanaron. 15. Conclusion, Takahiro Fujimoto and Daniel Raff.