A method to measure the rate of technological advance in the automotive industry

Summary form only given. In this paper, by conceptualizing a product as a set of technologies, a method to measure the technology content of the product itself is provided. The method is used to develop an index useful to measure the technology content of a car. The methodology uses factors which are objectively measurable in terms of the technical parameters of the engine, the performance features of the car, and factors subjectively measurable in terms of the quality and safety level of the car. This approach has the advantage of simplicity. This method can be adopted for several purposes: to identify benchmarks in the market; to keep trace of technology and technology advance in the market; and to identify the features on which the manufacturers should most focus