Search Results (66)

As the global automobile industry undergoes rapid intelligent transformation, understanding public acceptance of autonomous driving emerges as a critical research challenge. This study adopts the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as its theoretical framework to conduct a comparative analysis between China and Europe, two major automotive markets and central arenas for the development of autonomous driving. It investigates how contextual factors—including policy support, infrastructure, social trust, and cultural values—influence acceptance patterns. The findings show that in China, strong policy guidance, rapid infrastructure deployment, and large-scale demonstration projects have substantially increased willingness to adopt, while the widespread use of L2-level systems has enhanced public familiarity with the technology. Nonetheless, high-profile accidents have also exposed vulnerabilities in public trust. In contrast, European consumers demonstrate a more cautious stance, emphasizing legal liability, data privacy, and ethical compliance, while simultaneously regarding autonomous driving as a means of achieving carbon reduction, traffic safety, and sustainable mobility. The results further indicate that in the European context, institutional guarantees and prior experience are decisive, with accident memory and institutional trust serving as critical moderators within TAM pathways. Full article

Amid global economic transformation, technological innovation is widely recognized as a pivotal driver for the sustainable upgrading of the automotive industry. This is particularly critical for China, the world’s largest automotive market, which faces persistent challenges, including technological bottlenecks in core components and confinement to low-value segments within global value chain. This study introduces novelty by systematically integrating and empirically testing the mediating role of Global Value Chain (GVC) and the moderating effect of industrial agglomeration within a unified framework—a focus that remains underexplored in the sector. Using panel data from 28 Chinese provinces (2000–2020), we measure industrial upgrading using the DEA-Malmquist index to capture total factor productivity changes and employ a system GMM approach. The results indicate that technological innovation directly fosters industrial upgrading and indirectly facilitates it by improving the industry’s GVC position. Moreover, industrial agglomeration positively moderates this relationship, thereby amplifying the returns to innovation within geographic clusters. These findings highlight the necessity for integrated policies that simultaneously promote technological innovation, strategic GVC positioning, and synergistic industrial agglomeration to achieve sustainable upgrading. As a paradigmatic emerging economy, China’s experience offers valuable insights for other latecomer economies pursuing industrial upgrading. Full article

Under the Belt and Road Initiative, China and Kazakhstan have developed a strategic partnership in the automotive industry that has progressed through three distinct phases. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolution and future of this cooperation, structured into the Export and Assembly phase (2014 to 2017), the Technology Partnership phase (2018 to 2021), and the Localization and Joint Ventures phase (2022 to 2024). Based on qualitative content analysis of policy documents, industry reports, and media coverage, the paper examines how China’s drive for industrial upgrading aligns with Kazakhstan’s goals of economic diversification and industrial growth. The findings indicate that Chinese automotive companies, such as JAC Motors, have transitioned from exporting vehicles to assembling them locally, transferring technology, and investing in joint ventures, thereby strengthening Kazakhstan’s automotive production and market potential. However, challenges remain, including overcapacity, market saturation, and the need for skilled local labor. The study concludes with recommendations to enhance cooperation through joint research and development, the creation of localized parts manufacturing clusters, and the harmonization of technical standards, offering a replicable model for bilateral partnerships within the Belt and Road framework. Full article

This study develops a comprehensive analytical framework to examine how nations secure core positions in global supply chains (GSCs) for key industries. It combines a comparative analysis of advanced economies—Los Angeles (aerospace), Munich (high-end manufacturing), London (biopharmaceuticals), and Tokyo (automotive)—with a survey-based empirical assessment of Chinese industry practitioners. Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), factor analysis and the Delphi method, an evaluation framework is constructed across five dimensions: technology, value, governance, resilience, and sustainability. The findings show that developed economies sustain their leadership through upstream innovation and standard-setting, coordination of high-value activities, integrated industrial ecosystems, and risk-buffering mechanisms. Empirical results reveal that while China demonstrates relative strengths in governance and value creation, it continues to lag in frontier technologies, resilience, and sustainability. Building on both comparative and empirical evidence, the study proposes strategic pathways for China’s key industries, including technological breakthroughs, innovation-driven clusters, governance reforms, digital resilience, and green cooperation. These insights provide actionable guidance for policymakers and highlight how latecomer economies can transform structural disadvantages into innovation momentum, evolving from participants to rule-setters in global supply chains. Full article

In the era of digital–real integration, open-source collaboration has become a strategic pathway for accelerating the innovation catch-up of China’s industrial software. This study employs an exploratory multi-case design, focusing on the China Automotive Operating System open-source project and the FastCAE open-source domestic CAE software integrated development platform to examine how open-source strategies shape collaborative mechanisms and innovation outcomes. The analysis reveals that firms adopt both formal (behavioral and outcome coordination) and informal (relationship and empowerment coordination) strategies, fostering high-level complementary collaboration in data, technology, institution, and human resources. These mechanisms significantly enhance R&D efficiency and quality, drive technological innovation, and create new market innovation, thereby improving collaborative performance. The study contributes to theory by linking open-source-driven digital–real integration with industrial software innovation catch-up and offers practical governance recommendations for strengthening China’s industrial software autonomy and ecosystem sustainability. Full article

This study investigates global innovation trends in machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) technologies within the automotive sector through a patent analysis of 5314 applications filed between 2005 and 2022 across the five major patent offices (IP5). Using Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) codes and keyword analysis, we identify seven sub-technology domains and examine both geographical and corporate patenting strategies. Our findings show that the United States dominates in overall filings, while Japan demonstrates a notably high share of triadic patents, which reflects a strong global-reach strategy. Patent activity is heavily concentrated in vehicle control and infrastructure traffic control, with emerging growth observed in battery management and occupant analytics. In contrast, security-related technologies remain underrepresented, indicating a potential blind spot in current innovation efforts. Corporate strategies diverge markedly; for example, some firms, such as Toyota and Bosch, pursue balanced tri-regional protection, whereas others, including Ford and GM, focus on dual-market coverage in the United States and China. These patterns illustrate how market priorities, regulatory environments, and technological objectives influence patenting behavior. By mapping the technological and strategic landscape of ML/DL innovation in the automotive industry, this study provides actionable insights for industry practitioners seeking to optimize intellectual property portfolios and for policymakers aiming to address gaps such as automotive cybersecurity in future R&D agendas. Full article

The swift expansion of China’s automotive manufacturing industry has spurred a constant rise in the demand for automotive parts production and distribution, making the optimization of distribution routes in complex environments a crucial research topic. Efficiently optimizing these routes not only boosts production efficiency and cuts costs for automotive manufacturers but also enhances supply chain management and advances sustainable development. This study focuses on the optimization of automotive parts distribution routes under a multi-manufacturer collaboration framework. An optimization model is proposed to minimize the total operational costs within a joint distribution system, incorporating an improved Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm to formulate an effective solution approach. The model considers complex factors such as dynamic demand, time-window constraints, and periodic distribution. A PIVNS algorithm integrating a virtual distribution center with an enhanced variable neighborhood search is designed to efficiently address the problem. The efficacy of the proposed model and algorithm is substantiated through extensive experiments grounded in real-world case studies. The results confirm the high computational efficiency of the proposed approach in solving large-scale problems, which significantly reduces distribution costs while improving overall supply chain performance. Specifically, the PIVNS algorithm achieves an average travel distance of 2020.85 km, an average runtime of 112.25 s, a total transportation cost of CNY 12,497.99, and a loading rate of 86.775%. These findings collectively highlight the advantages of the proposed method in enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and optimizing resource utilization. Overall, this study provides valuable insights for logistics optimization in automotive manufacturing and offers a significant reference for future research and practical applications in the field. Full article

This work analyzes the electric vehicle (EV) sales trends of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and trends in the growth of Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC) charging infrastructure station scenarios in Europe and Italy. It offers a comprehensive view of market trends, technical developments, infrastructure development, and worldwide standardization initiatives for policymakers, researchers, and industry. A detailed classification of the charging technologies of EVs, i.e., conductive, wireless power transfer (WPT), battery swapping (BS), and different EV types, is presented. Finally, this work provides a comparative overview of charging standards and protocols, including the ones established by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and Standardization Administration of China (SAC), emphasizing interoperability and cross-border integration to accelerate the transition to clean transportation. Full article

China’s leading development of a complete battery value chain for electric vehicles (EVs) is restructuring the global automotive sector. In contrast with the normal point of view, which emphasizes the role of industrial policy, this article argues that the competitive advantage of China’s EV battery industry lies in firms’ core competency and political economic geography. Based on first-hand empirical material and data obtained from years of fieldwork carried out at an EV battery cluster in south China, this paper identifies the Chinese EV battery industry’s core competency and details how it is built up from below. The current core competency of Chinese battery firms is their mass manufacturing capability, which allows them to supply vehicle manufacturers (OEMs) with lithium-ion batteries of stable and consistent quality at competitive prices. This competency is acquired by firms through technological learning at the workshop level while making use of the experiences they have accumulated while mass producing batteries for consumer electronics sectors. Furthermore, the rapid learning and accumulation of knowledge of battery manufacturing on a large scale is also facilitated by the local industrial cluster environment where firms are embedded. Supported and promoted by local government policies, Chinese EV battery clusters are composed of firms from different segments of a complete battery value chain. The findings have significant implications for battery and car makers in global competition as well as for national and local governments which aim to promote EV battery development. Full article

Batteries are central to the global energy system and fundamental elements for energy transition and future mobility. In particular, the growth in electric vehicle (EV) sales is pushing up demand for batteries. Most of the battery demand for EVs today can be met with domestic or regional production in China, while the share of imports remains relatively large in Europe and the United States. Boosting the industrial base for battery production is therefore a key task for the EU. To make its battery supply chains secure, resilient, and sustainable, the EU’s approach consists of improving cooperation among stakeholders, providing the sector with funding, and establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework. In this paper, an accurate review of the state-of-the-art of automotive batteries is provided, including the performance, safety, sustainability, and costs of the different battery technologies. The significant challenges the EU battery sector must face, such as dependencies on third countries and high energy and labor costs, are discussed. An overview of the present European regulation and of future trends is provided. Full article

This study investigates the critical roles of green innovation adoption (GIA) and green technology adoption (GTA) in advancing the digital economy (DE). It explores how creative enterprises (CE) and financial capability (FC) mediate and moderate the relationships between green innovation, technology adoption, and the digital economy. Data were collected from 400 respondents in the automotive industry in China through a structured survey questionnaire. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was conducted using Smart PLS 4.0 to analyze the data and test the proposed hypotheses. The findings indicate that green innovation and technology adoption significantly and positively impact the digital economy. Moreover, these factors positively influence creative enterprises, enhancing the digital economy. Creative enterprises were also found to mediate the relationship between green innovation/technology adoption and the digital economy. In addition, financial capability significantly moderated the link between creative enterprises and the digital economy. This research contributes to the literature by examining the synergistic effects of environmental sustainability, innovation adoption, and technological integration within the digital economy. It provides actionable insights into embedding sustainable practices in the evolving digital landscape while highlighting the intricate dynamics among innovation, technology adoption, and financial resources in driving economic transformation. This study contributes to the literature by exploring the synergistic effects of green innovation, technology adoption, and financial capability in driving the digital economy, focusing on creative enterprises as a mediating factor. It provides actionable insights for integrating sustainability into the digital landscape, offering a novel framework for economic transformation in the automotive industry. Full article

Functionally graded materials (FGMs) are a class of advanced materials characterized by spatially varying properties, offering significant advantages in aerospace, automotive, and biomedical industries. The integration of additive manufacturing (AM) has revolutionized the fabrication of FGMs, enabling precise control over material gradients and complex geometries. This review presents a comprehensive bibliometric and content analysis of 3D-printed FGMs, focusing on materials, processing techniques, mechanical properties, and application trends. The findings highlight the growing research interest in FGMs since 2016, with a peak in 2021, and the dominant contributions from the USA and China. Key research trends include advancements in selective laser melting and direct energy deposition techniques, which have enhanced mechanical performance by improving wear resistance, tensile strength, and elasticity. Despite these advancements, challenges such as residual stresses, interfacial bonding weaknesses, and material anisotropy persist. Future research should focus on optimizing AM processes to enhance material homogeneity, developing eco-friendly materials to align with sustainability goals, and establishing standardized testing methods for FGMs to ensure their reliability in industrial applications. Full article

In recent years, the rapid advancement of digital technologies and the growing demand for sustainability have driven unprecedented transformations in the automotive industry, particularly toward electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy. The EV supply chain, a complex global network, has become increasingly vulnerable to globalization and frequent “black swan” events. The purpose of this study, grounded in organizational information processing theory, aims to systematically examine the role of digital capability in strengthening supply chain resilience (SCR) through improved risk management effectiveness. Specifically, it explores the multidimensional nature of digital capability, clarifies its distinct impact on SCR, and addresses existing research gaps in this domain. To achieve this, this study develops a theoretical framework and validates it using survey data collected from 249 EV supply chain enterprises in China. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) is employed to empirically test the proposed relationships. The findings provide valuable theoretical insights and actionable guidance for EV manufacturers seeking to leverage digital transformation to mitigate risks effectively and enhance supply chain resilience. However, as the study focuses on Chinese EV supply chain enterprises, caution is needed when generalizing the findings to other regions. Future research could extend this investigation to different markets, such as to Europe and the United States, to explore potential variations. Full article

Amidst the unfolding technological revolution and industrial transformation, the synergistic development between China’s automotive and semiconductor industries has emerged as a salient trend. To explore the potential difficulties and pathways of the synergistic development of the two industries, this study conducted cross-sectional surveys across three phases, specifically in March 2021, March 2022, and March 2024. The first phase of the survey identified that the two industries could mutually promote each other in both technical and market aspects and pinpointed three major challenges: computational capacity bottlenecks, supply chain risks, and unclear industrial cooperation models. The second phase of the survey discussed three opportunities to address the three challenges, respectively: intelligent vehicle infrastructure cooperative system, supply chain localization, and the reconstruction of the technology stack. The third phase of the survey summarized the development experience over the past three years, validated the aforementioned opportunities, and suggested the government promote the digitalization of vehicles and mobility, automotive companies use more domestic chips, and two industries build the ecological cooperation model. Full article

The global automotive industry is currently undergoing a period of radical transformation as a result of the ongoing electrification of automobiles. China has established rigorous energy-saving and emission-reduction targets and regulations. Consequently, the automotive industry must take into account the limitations of carbon emission reduction and carbon trading when formulating major business strategies. A related question is how “internal incentives” should be set to maximize the variable profitability of automotive companies while meeting compliance constraints. In response, in this study, a unified and mutually consistent modeling framework for enterprise scenario analysis is proposed to align the product portfolio within an enterprise. Firstly, a game model of the new energy vehicle market is proposed to forecast general trends and provide forward-looking inputs for firms to develop business plans. Next, this paper proposes a framework for monetizing CO₂ compliance using the Pigovian tax/subsidy concept. The equilibrium is achieved through the imposition of a tax or subsidy by the company on each of its internal models. Utilizing historical data from A Motors, we clearly illustrate how our approach works and demonstrate its consistency with observations of the new energy vehicle market. Full article