The development of the Chinese automobile industry since 1949: the role of government vol 1 and 2

  • Zhaotao Tan

    Student thesis: Doctoral ThesisDoctor of Philosophy

    Abstract

    This research analysed four main themes – role of government, globalisation, foreign direct investment (FDI), and industrial clusters in the context of Chinese automobile industry. The aim was to explore how these four elements were brought together to
    achieve industrial development and modernisation in the Chinese automobile industry since 1949. In particular, the globalisation process, speedily driven by the world economy, has been shaping the automobile industry in a profound way. With this mega trend, China was able to initiate a set of policies undertaken by the government to develop its own automobile industry in several regional clusters across the country, which in turn hastened the progress of modernisation. Moreover, FDI has been critical
    for remaking a once backward automobile industry into one that has large-scale assembly capacity, comprehensive local supply networks, and a new generation of indigenous car brands and models.

    The overall methods adopted for this research are semi-structured face to face interviews and case studies. In order to accomplish the research aim, 11 interviews have been carried out with key personnel drawn from the Chinese automobile industry.
    Participants have been chosen because of their expertise on this topic. In addition, three case studies were developed on the performance of three different types of firms operating in China: private (Geely), state-owned (Chery), and joint venture (Beijing
    Hyundai). Three cases were analysed in-depth in order to gain a rich understanding of the context of operation in the Chinese automobile industry.

    The key conclusions are both the role of government and FDI by multinational firms have been crucial to the development of the automobile industry in China and will be so for many years to come.
    Date of Award2013
    Original languageEnglish
    Awarding Institution
    • Coventry University

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