The Chinese automotive industry at a turning point. An Overview

China is by far the largest car manufacturing country and the world's biggest auto market. Despite this, Chinese brands and companies are almost unknown in Europe and other advanced markets. The international car oligopoly is still dominated by a group of legacy companies and brands. The recent development of the electric car and the growing emphasis on sustainable mobility represent a great opportunity for China. Backed by the government, Chinese companies can exploit the new technology and follow a leapfrogging strategy by investing in research and development, developing new products, and proposing new business models in order to enter international markets with their own brands. Will the Chinese auto industry be able to achieve this? Will it be able to compete on a level playing field with the powerful foreign multinationals in the global markets? This work tries to offer an answer to these questions by reviewing the Chinese car industry, the main characteristics of its development and its future prospects in the context of the great changes promised by sustainable mobility.