From the turn of the century to the present, industrial production has taken various forms from an initial craft orientation, to a period of ‘Fordism’ when industrialization was characteristically dominated by mass production, to the present when increasing numbers of sectors are adopting ‘flexible specialization’ techniques which incorporate aspects both of mass production and of the craft tradition. As a location with strong craft and mass production lineages, Los Angeles offers unusual insights for understanding developments in the industry. In this paper the evolution of both sides of the Los Angeles automobile industry is traced and its prospects for remaining a viable economic entity are discussed in the region in light of overarching trends.
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