The rise of the Chinese automobile industry: The development between 2005 and 2020 and current challenges of the world's largest automobile industry

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2020 in the subject Business economics - Miscellaneous, grade: 1,0, Vienna University of Economics and Business (Institute for Strategic Management), language: English, abstract: This bachelor thesis deals with the development of the Chinese automobile industry (only passenger cars) over the past fifteen years (2005-2020). In the first part of the thesis, the political and economic development in China is outlined and major political events in contemporary Chinese history are discussed. A special emphasis is put on the open-door policies introduced by Deng Xiaoping in the late 1980s that still have a major impact on the Chinese automobile industry. In the literature review, the development of this industry is analyzed along four categories: government regulations, competitive landscape, products available and consumer behavior. In each of the categories, the changes and developments are elaborated in detail. Significant changes were found in all four categories. Particular attention was paid to government regulations as the research has shown that major changes have been made in recent years that have significantly impacted the entire industry. Ultimately, the current state of the Chinese automobile industry is outlined and shows the importance of this industry for the Chinese as well as the world economy. In the last part of the thesis, the opinions of experts working in or with the Chinese automobile industry are outlined. Over the working time of this thesis, eight expert interviews have been conducted with professionals from diverse cultural backgrounds and work experience in the Chinese automobile industry. The insights provided should allow a better understanding of the current state and challenges. While for some topics all experts agreed (e.g. surprising rapid growth of Chinese automobile industry), there was no common opinion on other topics (e.g. potential of Chinese EVs).