Automotive

The bulk of activity has been around components businesses such as WET, FTE and Hirschmann, and there are likely to be more opportunities for hands-on private equity firms to acquire spin-outs and niche original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Buyouts in car manufacturing, such as Chrysler, are a rarity due to the problems facing the automotive industry, which include acute competition, environmental pressures, soaring costs and the transition to a world of permanently high oil prices.