International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management (7 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• Recent investments in the Spanish battery value chain: lessons for the European automotive industry  
  by Jesús F. Lampón, Miguel A. Crespo-Velando, María Del Mar Rodríguez-Domínguez, Hugo Pérez-Moure 
  Abstract: Focusing on two key elements (activities and actors), a countrys electric vehicle battery (EVB) value chain is studied. This analysis is based on a theoretical model that deconstructs the value chain into upstream, midstream, downstream, and second life activities, and classifies actors into foreign and domestic firms. Through a focus group technique, the recent investments in the Spanish EVB value chain are analysed. The results highlight that these investments are mainly focused on battery integration and battery cell production activities. However, there is no investment in mineral exploitation and battery cell components production, and few in battery recycling activities. Automobile manufacturers and battery cell producers, mostly foreign-owned multinationals, are the key actors in this Spanish EVB value chain. This implies that decisions regarding investments are not taken by domestic firms. Implications for public policies can be derived from these results.
  Keywords: electric vehicles batteries; EVB; global value chain; GVC; automotive industry.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2026.10078509
   
  
• Towards a fully electric vehicle production by 2035: economic implications for Italys automotive sector through an input-output approach  
  by Edoardo Alberti, Leonardo Piccini, Tommaso Ferraresi, Renato Paniccià 
  Abstract: This study assesses the economic and employment impacts of the complete electrification of the automotive industry in Italy, in the context of the European fit for 55 packages. We employed European input-output tables and used an inter-country input-output model to develop counterfactual scenarios that include the relocation of inputs supply chains for the Italian automotive production, a fully electric vehicle production, projections and change in demand due to a lower degree of market penetration and a reduction in the growth rate of vehicle registrations. Results show that electrification stimulates growth in electronics and vehicle assembly and reduces demand for metalworking, rubber and plastic supplies and some tertiary services. There is a significant risk of erosion of the national supply chain and loss of domestic content to European hubs and Asian suppliers if local capabilities are not developed. Industrial and demand policies are strongly needed to mitigate these impacts.
  Keywords: automotive electrification; electric vehicle adoption; energy transition; input-output analysis; fit for 55 packages; Italian electric vehicle market; Italy.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2026.10078561
   
  
• Technology upgrading and growth in a globalised economy: a comparative analysis of the role of GVCparticipation in the automotive industry of China, Central Eastern Europe and Western Europe  
  by Pengfei Chang 
  Abstract: Industry growth and technology upgrading in an increasingly globalised economy create new opportunities for emerging economies, but the upgrading effects of global value chain (GVC) participation remain uneven across development paths. This study develops a multidimensional measure of technology upgrading and examines the automotive industries of China, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), and Western Europe (WE) over 20002020. Using panel fixed-effects models with lagged GVC participation variables, the analysis explores how backward and forward participation are associated with short- and medium-run upgrading outcomes. The results reveal clear regional heterogeneity. China upgrades mainly through GVC forward participation, whereas CEEs upgrading is concentrated in backward participation. By contrast, WE shows only limited upgrading gains, concentrated in forward participation. The research underscores the importance of using direct and observable variables over traditional measures to understand the mechanisms of technology upgrading at the industry level.
  Keywords: global value chain; GVC; technology upgrading; composite indicator; automotive industry; China.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2026.10078936
   
  

Special Issue on: GERPISA 2025 The Central Role of China in the Global Automotive Industry

• Effective quality management in Industry 4.0: a social-technical systems perspective from China's automotive industry  
  by Yang He, William Hua Wang 
  Abstract: This paper explores key elements of quality management that positively contribute to the performance of corporates implementing Industry 4.0. Based on the socio-technical systems (STS) theory applied to total quality management (TQM), this study employs partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyse survey data from 245 managers in the Chinese automotive industry. This study yielded several important findings. Quality information systems and workforce management are the most significant predictors of digital transformation. Notably, the strongest performance outcomes are derived from system alignment: quality information systems (technical subsystems) supported by workforce capabilities and customer insights (social subsystems). Additionally, the study demonstrates that customer focus, to drive measurable performance, must be operationalised through technical and informational channels, whereas standardised process control does not exert a positive impact on firm performance. Our study advances TQM4.0 theory from toolkits and definitions to a system-level model of capability integration tailored to digital environments.
  Keywords: total quality management; TQM; Industry 4.0; socio-technical system; STS; automobile industry; China.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2026.10079182
   
  
• Beyond patent counts: cross-country evidence on innovation quality and collaboration in new energy vehicles  
  by Margherita Russo, Fabrizio Alboni, Tim Becker, Simone Righi 
  Abstract: Patents are widely used as proxies for technological potential, yet simple counts may misrepresent leadership in emerging industries. This study investigates cross-country differences in new energy vehicle (NEV) technologies using IP5 patent data from 2010-2021. We assess both the quantity and quality of patents across six technological macro-groups, applying ten quality indicators and a synthetic mean rank index to capture multidimensional aspects of innovation. Results show that while China's rise is evident in patent numbers, Japan, the USA, and Korea consistently lead in high-quality patents, whereas Germany lags across most macro-groups. Collaboration patterns also reveal that international co-patenting in NEVs is modest and not systematically linked to superior patent quality, in contrast to pharmaceuticals or ICT. The findings stress the need for policies that not only support patent activity but also enhance the conditions for translating inventive output into technological leadership in the automotive transition.
  Keywords: new energy vehicles; NEVs; automotive industry; patents; cross-country comparison; patent quality.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2026.10079043
   
  
• Local clusters and industrial policy: the new automotive geography of electric vehicle sector in China  
  by Wei Zhao, Xieshu Wang, Joël Ruet 
  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.
  Keywords: automotive industry; electric vehicle; internal combustion engine; geographic agglomeration; local cluster; regional cluster; brownfield; Greenfield; industrial policy; government; ecosystem; China.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2026.10079181
   
  
• Changing the automobile industry into a mobility industry: the return of 'traditional' Japanese industrial policies?  
  by Holger Bungsche 
  Abstract: The need for decarbonisation and digitalisation together with fundamental demographic and socio-economic changes put the Japanese automobile industry under enormous pressure at home, while at the same time international competition with respect to software-defined vehicle, battery and semiconductor development, particularly from Chinese manufacturers, vigorously intensifies. Against this background, the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) has announced that the automobile industry must change into a mobility industry. This change necessitates a concerted effort of automobile industry, related non-automobile industries, as well as government and administration, because many tasks like CO₂ neutral energy supply, e-mobility infrastructure development etc. are beyond the capabilities of the automobile industry. JAMA's most recent mobility 'Vision 2035' presents an action plan that identifies issues, sets targets, and delegates tasks to all industry and non-industry actors, thus pragmatically reviving the 'traditional' approach to industrial policy in Japan, this time, however, with the industry as the initiator and coordinator.
  Keywords: Japan; automobile policy; carbon neutrality; mobility industry; sustainability.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2026.10079582