Japanese Cooperation and Supporting Industry in Mexico’s Automotive Sector: USMCA, Covid-19 Disruptions, and Electric Vehicle Production (New Frontiers in Regional Science: Asian Perspectives, 72)

This pioneering work focuses on the crucial role that the cooperation of Japan, a major stakeholder in production networks in North America, is playing in supporting Mexico's domestic suppliers of the automotive industry. The importance of Japanese cooperation is analyzed with an examination of the transfer of knowledge and technology crucial for reshaping the automotive industry. Additionally, particular interest is given to the challenges posed to Mexico's automotive industry by the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), the Covid-19 disruptions, and the transition to electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing. The book demonstrates the importance of cooperation in economic partnership agreements such as the one between Japan and Mexico to strengthen the role of investment in complex regional integration networks and to face new challenges. Academics and policymakers will find a framework to guide research and decision-making regarding the transformation of automotivemanufacturing and production networks in Mexico's automotive industry. Specifically, the new conditions facing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the important part that Japanese cooperation will play in the industry's evolution. Contents List of Figures List of Tables Chapter 1: Challenges to Mexico’s Automotive Industry. The USMCA, COVID-19, and Electric Vehicle Production 1.1 The Mexican Automotive Industry 1.2 Japanese Foreign Investment in Mexico’s Automotive Industry 1.3 Challenges to Mexico’s Automotive Industry 1.4 Summing Up References Chapter 2: Japanese Cooperation and Suppliers in Mexico’s Automotive Sector. New Challenges from USMCA and Nearshoring 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Fragmentation of Production: From Globalization to Regionalization 2.3 Mexico’s Automotive Sector, Global Supply Chains, and Small and Medium Enterprises 2.4 The Role of Japanese Foreign Direct Investment in the Mexican Automotive Sector 2.5 Japanese Cooperation: The Development of Tier-2 Mexican Suppliers and Training of Human Resources 2.6 Challenges and Opportunities for the Mexican Automotive Sector from USMCA and Nearshoring 2.7 Conclusions References Chapter 3: The Role of Japanese Cooperation in the Transition to Electric Vehicle Production in Mexico 3.1 Introduction 3.2 The Mexican Automotive Industry 3.2.1 Automotive Production 3.2.2 Auto Parts 3.3 Transition to EV Production 3.4 Japanese Cooperation and the Transition to EV Production in Mexico 3.5 Conclusions References Chapter 4: Japan International Development Cooperation. An Important Tool for Training and Strengthening Supply Chains in the Automotive Industry in the State of Guanajuato, Mexico 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Institutions, Responsible Agents to Promote the Japanese Automotive Sector in Mexico 4.3 The Japanese Automotive Sector in Mexico. Investment and Cooperation to Promote Profits 4.4 For Training, Cooperation 4.5 Conclusions References Global Business Reports Interviews Chapter 5: The Role of Keiretsu in the Spatial Distribution of Japanese Automotive Production Networks in Guanajuato 2016–2020. A Social Networks Analysis 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Literature Review 5.2.1 Keiretsu in the Automotive Industry 5.3 Empirical Model 5.4 Empirical Framework 5.4.1 Network Analysis 5.5 Results 5.6 Conclusions References