The development of sustainable road transport, in terms of meeting social, economic and environmental needs, requires consideration of the full life cycle of vehicles, including design, production, distribution, use and end-of-life (re-use, recycling and disposal). Design of components for re-use either within the vehicle sector or outside of it requires special attention, with implications for long term reliability. Methods allowing for easy disassembly at end-of life need to be integrated into the design process. Substantial reductions in total system material and energy consumption are required, together with reduced pollution and waste, whilst at the same time increasing economic performance in a globally competitive market. There are substantial challenges involved with migrating to more sustainable modes of vehicle production and use, which will require social, economic, environmental, technological, political and infrastructural change. A range of actions will result in moderate progress towards these goals, based on evolution of existing technology and approaches. However, in the longer term there is a requirement for improved understanding of the scale and type of change required, at a system level, and the associated implications for technology, industry and society.

Improved manufacturing systems are crucial for achieving the social, economic and environmental goals described above, in terms of reducing energy and material consumption, reducing emissions, and increasing efficiency and competitiveness. Aspects that require attention include component-level manufacture and assembly, system-level manufacture and organisation, management of manufacturing systems, together with commercial and market considerations. Trends towards greater vehicle variety and customisation, together with increasing rates of innovation and technology development, will demand greater flexibility and agility from manufacturing systems whilst simultaneously improving economic and environmental performance.