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Local clusters and industrial policy: the new automotive geography of electric vehicle sector in China

  • South China University of Technology
  • CNRS, Centre d'Economie de Paris Nord

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) sector exhibits a pattern of spatial agglomeration reminiscent of the traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) automotive industry. This paper explores the structural characteristics of the brownfield and greenfield EV clusters, and the role of both central and local industrial policies in shaping their dynamics. Taking the EV sector as composed mainly of three blocks of value chain, namely battery making, original equipment manufacturing (OEM), and intelligent and connected vehicles (ICV), we examine the 'specialising approach' of EV sector clustering in China, as well as the challenges of integrating the legacy of ICE clusters.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)161-184
Number of pages24
JournalInternational Journal of Automotive Technology and Management
Volume26
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2026

Keywords

  • automotive industry
  • brownfield
  • China
  • ecosystem
  • electric vehicle
  • geographic agglomeration
  • government
  • Greenfield
  • industrial policy
  • internal combustion engine
  • local cluster
  • regional cluster

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