The Great Race

The world's greatest manufacturing juggernaut -- the $2 trillion automotive industry -- is in the throes of a revolution. Its future will include cars Henry Ford and Karl Benz could have scarcely imagined. They will drive themselves, won't consume oil, and will come in radical shapes and sizes.

But the path to that future is fraught. Today, the top contenders are two traditional manufacturing giants, the United States and Japan, and a newcomer, China. The outcomes of this global competition will shape how we move, how we work, and how we live on Earth.