Since 2009, China has become the biggest world market for automobile production and sales, overtaking the USA. Such an impressive growth has been achieved in less than 30 years, after China’s opening up to the outside world in 1978. Multinational corporations (MNCs), domestic companies and governments have jointly contributed to the industrialization of Chinese automotive industry. MNCs made significant strategic changes since the 1980s, by taking into account the emergence of Chinese competitors, changing consumer’s needs and governmental policies. Chinese companies, including newcomers in the late 1990s such as Geely or BYD, have demonstrated their astonishing capability of catching up. Central and regional governments and central ministries strive to balance between intervention and liberalization by taking into account the dynamics of firms and international institutions like World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Meanwhile, the Chinese automotive industry is full of challenges and contradictions. Foreign OEMs have to cope with the second best choice of “joint ventures” imposed by Chinese regulations, while accelerating the introduction of cars with cutting edge technology. Local OEMs are highly innovative in building intrinsic brands, although they are increasingly dependent towards foreign tier-one suppliers when targeting medium to luxury sedans.
Central government set up industrial policies to rationalize a highly fragmented industry, while regional governments are competing with each other to build local automotive clusters. Chinese consumers are becoming more exigent while talent shortages in distribution network are affecting the brand value of cars. In-depth academic research on China automotive industry is lacking. The objective of this special issue is to narrow this gap.
Papers to be included in this special issue should be focused on one or more of the following subjects (the list is indicative rather than exhaustive):
- Joint ventures between Chinese and foreign carmakers: strategies, cooperation and competition.
- Local players' governance and ownership
- Vertical relationship between OEM and suppliers
- Markets, consumers behaviour, distribution network
- Innovation, R&D, catching up, and leapfrogging, new energy vehicles
- Industrial policies, regulations, and local dynamics
Deadline for (extended) abstract submission: 31 March 2011
Response by guest editors: 30 April 2011
Special Issue Session of GERPISA to be held in Paris: 8/9/10 June 2011 (see below)
Deadline for full paper submission (incorporating discussion comments): 31 August 2011
We propose to hold a Special Issue session for the 19th GERPISA International Colloquium, June, 2011 in Paris (more details will be communicated in the coming two months). Papers will be reviewed and discussed by special issue editors. While all submitted papers will go through the regular double-blind journal review process, we believe that a face-to-face encounter at such a special issue session will result in better papers. Participation in the GERPISA session will not be a necessary condition for acceptance into the Special Issue, but we will strongly encourage all potential authors to attend the GERPISA session.
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