Five auto books to read for this month of August

From a tiny Swedish carmaker, Saab grew into one of the most recognized brands in the auto industry building truly inspired and captivating cars. Under GM umbrella, it entered into a slow but steady decline before going bankrupt in 2011. This book is about the carmaker and its evolution, its people and their ingenuity, its cars and their quirkiness, and its fans and their loyalty. It is about what had made this carmaker so special. The book can be found here

In less than a century, Jaguar grew from a tiny motorcycle sidecars manufacturer into one of of the leading luxury carmakers, surviving one World War, one oil crisis, and the Japanese invasion of the luxury segment. But that impressive growth and resiliency came at a price. Marketing replaced good engineering, branding won over product design, mass production and economies of scale took over craftmanship. Is the roaring Jaguar still alive? Will it be able to bounce again despite successive changes of owners? This book is a short account of the carmaker’s story, and the men behind it. The book can be found here.

For many years, Land Rover was synonymous with capable, good-value, and easy-to-maintain vehicles that served farmers and adventurers so well all over the world. But starting from the nineties, successive new owners stole the soul of the brand and made it into another luxury brand making opulent vehicles for "lifestyle" customers with a focus on marketing instead of products. Consequently the new models have lost their simplicity, good value, and reliability. They are now completely out of touch with their owners needs. Will Land Rover be able to recover what made it so original and thrive or will it join Rover, MG, and TVR in the list of extinct British automakers? The book can be found here

The Truth about Toyota and TPS explains how Toyota works and focuses on three areas: the production system and how it is built, the marketing of Toyota cars as being superior in quality and its ability to capitalize on this perception, and lastly the management of its workforce. However, behind the cast-iron reputation of the carmaker lays an obsolete organization struggling for survival in one of the auto industry most serious slumps. Will Toyota, the company that survived and succeeded through sixty years of competitive markets, be able to transform itself and prosper? Will it be able to reinvent the car of the 21st century and recover its supremacy? The book can be found here

In this book, Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, details how he got into business, the strategies that he used to become a wealthy and successful businessman, and what others can do by learning from the examples he has outlined. This book should be read by small business owners, business students and those interested in the history of the automobile. Henry Ford will take you through a journey of history, business and lessons to be learned from which he used to develop his financial empire. The book can be found here