The Green Transition of the Automotive Industry : From Technological Sustainable Innovation to Mobility Servitization

This edited collection offers deeper understanding of the green and digital transition in the automotive industry. It explains how mobility products, services and business models are changing, the opportunities and threats correlated to this double transition as well as the competences and resources needed for firms in this fluid scenario. The book firstly provides an in-depth overview of the strategic and managerial implications for automotive and mobility incumbent firms. Chapters describe how sustainable technologies have been changing over time and identify the challenges of the shift imposed by the new competitive environment, such as the so-called servitization of the industry. The second section describes the new drivers of growth and profitability, such as open and collaborative innovation, and provides guidance on how incumbents can surf this turbulent landscape. Contents Notes on Contributors Abbreviations List of Figures List of Tables 1: Introduction References Part I 2: Reshaping the Auto Industry Through Unconventional Challenges 2.1 The Automotive Industry Entering a New Stage 2.1.1 A Relentless Evolution Shaping New Strategies and New Industry Architectures 2.1.2 Globalisation Trends vs. Regional Differences 2.1.3 Attempting a Sketch of Architectural Evolution 2.1.4 A Look Over Time 2.1.5 What’s Next? 2.2 Fluidity Rules: How Turbulence Shakes History 2.2.1 Contingent Technological Alternatives 2.2.2 Varieties of Industry Architecture 2.2.3 A Complex Socio-Technical System 2.3 The End of OEMs’ Dominance? 2.3.1 The Rules of the Game and the Primacy of Incumbents 2.3.2 A New Dominant Design? References 3: From Transport History to History of Sustainable Mobility 3.1 From Transport History to History of Mobility: De-structuring the Main Narrative on the History of the Automobile 3.2 From the History of Fordism to the History of the EV and the Emission Standards 3.3 Italian Environmental Debate and the Public Debate on Car Emissions and Alternative Technologies References 4: Greening the Car—Mission Impossible or Not Pursued? 4.1 Introduction: Looking Beyond the Tailpipe Emissions 4.2 The Route to the “Zero Emission” 4.3 The Promised Land of Powertrain Electrification 4.4 The Car and the City: A Controversial Liaison 4.5 The Shortest Path to Zero Emissions References 5: The Transition of the Automotive Industry from an Identity Perspective 5.1 Introduction 5.2 The Identity of an Industry 5.3 The Impact of Technological Trends on the Automotive Industry 5.4 Is the Automotive Industry’s Identity Changing? 5.5 Conclusions References Dialogue between authors Dialogue Between Authors Part II 6: Mobility and Individual Choices in Turbulent Times—An Overview 6.1 An Evolving Scenario and the Relevance of a Consumer-Based Perspective 6.2 Across Rationality, Habits and Values: An Overview of the Main Determinants of Travel Mode Choice 6.3 Are We Ready Today for the Mobility of Tomorrow? An Empirical Investigation on Commuters’ Attitudes Towards Electrification 6.4 Conclusions References 7: Open and Collaborative Innovation in the Automotive Industry 7.1 The Role of Collaborative and Open Innovation as a Driver of Value Creation for Competence Destroying Innovations 7.2 The Life-Cycle Model of Open Innovation in the Automotive Industry 7.3 Findings 7.3.1 Toyota 7.3.2 General Motors 7.3.3 Volkswagen 7.3.4 Analysis 7.4 Discussion and Conclusions References 8: Automotive Distribution at the Gates of Change: Towards New Architectures 8.1 The Evolution of Automotive Distribution Architectures 8.1.1 The Evolution of the Franchised Dealer System 8.1.2 The Range of Strategic Options in Distribution 8.2 Competitive Pressures and Enablers for Change 8.2.1 Network Concentration 8.2.2 The Digital Challenge in Automotive Retail 8.3 The Quest for Retail Coordination: Reshaping Distribution Architectures 8.3.1 Going Direct? The Agency Option 8.3.2 An Assessment of the Agency Route in Retail 8.3.3 A Glimpse into the Future of Automotive Retail References 9: The Role and Design of Open Territorialized Mobility Platforms for Sustainable Mobility 9.1 Urban Mobility in Europe 9.2 Open Territorialized Mobility Platforms 9.3 Electrification of Mobility Platforms Managed by Local Public Transport Operators in Europe 9.4 Electrified Mobility in Historical Cities: Challenges and Opportunities 9.5 Conclusions References 10: The Role of Institutions, Social Actors and Public Policies to Support Sustainability in the Automotive Industry in Europe 10.1 Introduction 10.2 The European Union’s Industrial Policy for the Automotive Sector 10.3 The National Industrial Policies Supporting the Automotive Industry in Europe 10.4 The Role of Sectoral Organisations and Trade Unions Within the Framework of Industrial and Employment Transformation in the Automotive Sector 10.5 Conclusions References Dialogue between authors Dialogue Between Authors Index