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

Authors: Wei Zhao; Xieshu Wang; Joël Ruet

Addresses: Institute of Public Policy, South China University of Technology, 14/F, Automobile Technology Building, 381, Wushan Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China ' Centre de recherche en Économie de l'Université Paris, Nord (CNRS, UMR 7234), Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, 99 Avenue Jean-Baptiste Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France ' i3-CRG, École polytechnique, CNRS Institut polytechnique de Paris, Palaiseau, Innovation Interdisciplinary Institute (UMR CNRS 9217), 828 Boulevard des Maréchaux, F-91762, Palaiseau cedex, France

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.2026.155605

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 2026 Vol.26 No.2, pp.161 - 184

Received: 14 Sep 2025
Accepted: 25 Nov 2025
Published online: 06 Aug 2026 *

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