Cars, Automobility and Development in Asia explores the nexus between automobility and development in a pan-Asian comparative perspective. The book seeks to integrate the policies, production forms, consumption preferences and symbolism implicated in emerging Asian automobilities. Using empirically rich and grounded analyses of both comparative and single-country case studies, the authors chart new approaches to studying automobility and development in emerging Asia.

This book looks at the industrial policies of Southeast Asian economies in their motor vehicle industries from early import substitution to policy-making under the more liberalised WTO policy regime. The book examines how inward automotive investment, especially from Japan, has been affected by policies, and how such investment has promoted industrial development in the late-industrialising economies within ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). It provides insights into the automotive industry of Southeast Asia in terms of production volumes, sales volumes, market structure, and trade. Through country case studies, the book is a useful reference and illustrates how industrial policies in Southeast Asia have affected the spread of automotive development in the region. It will appeal to policy-makers and researchers interested in the automobile industry, industrial policies in the industry and the spread of development from foreign investors to local firms.

Introduction -- The Lure and Challenges of the Automobile Industry -- Institutions, Politics and Developmental Divergence -- Thailand: Early opening and Export success -- The Philippines and Indonesia: Extensive Development Arrested and Delayed -- Korea: Successful Intensive Industrialization -- Malaysia: How Intensive Development Strategies Fail in the Absence of Appropriate Institutions -- China: Revamping socialist institutions for a market economy -- Taiwan: Balancing independent assembly, MNCs, and parts promotion in a small market -- Conclusion.

East Asia has led rapid economic growth in the last few decades with India joining them over the last five years. Automotive parts manufacturers have been an important component of domestic production in all these economies. Experts with several years of multi-disciplinary research experience on the field examine the actual and potential technological and localization implications of MNC operations in East Asia and India. The rich collection of country experiences are both original and incisive. This volume includes: Case studies from China, Japan, India, Thailand and Malaysia A study of the role of multinationals in Asian technology building An examination of the growing Chinese automobile sector Featuring leading academics from across Asia, this title is essential reading for those studying industrial growth in the continent's major economies.

Abstract: Rationalization and stabilization following the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s combined with the expansion and liberalization of regional and global trade to create significant parts industries in China, Indonesia, and the Republic of Korea. Conventional policies of stabilization and liberalization, however, cannot fully explain growth patterns. Japan and Korea grew into major players before liberalizing trade and investment, while even after extensive liberalization Indonesia has yet to move from extensive to intensive growth. These anomalies suggest that to explain success in the auto parts industry we need to move beyond liberalization to look at policies and institutions promoting economies of scale, skill formation, quality upgrading, supplier-linkage cooperation, and innovation. In Japan, the regional and global leader, innovative assemblers led industrial development and supported key suppliers, but the government also supported diffusion of quality control techniques and new technology to small and medium enterprises, and encouraged stable employment among core employees. Korea remains weaker on both small and medium enterprise and employment fronts, but government-encouraged consolidation around a small number of business groups, an extended period of protection, and support for export promotion led to economies of scale. Liberalization of foreign investment after the financial crisis helped ameliorate the excessive statism of earlier policies and strengthened the parts industry. In China, liberalization for WTO entry, rapid expansion in demand, and strong support by local governments encouraged a wave of foreign investment in both assembly and parts. In contrast, institutional weaknesses continue to constrain development opportunities in Indonesia.

This book provides a detailed cross-country study of the automotive industry in South East Asia. Abbott argues that, contrary to prevailing opinion, the diffusion of manufacturing in the Asia-Pacific has been characterized by hierarchical networks of production linked to Japan for technology.

This book provides a wealth of information and a critically required framework for sustainable automobile policy development in major Asian countries. It also gives wide-ranging policy options, ranging from technological to institutional solutions to automobile emission problems, based on empirical case studies and comparative policy and regulatory analysis. It is a useful reference with valuable insights on how rapidly changing economies are adopting their policy and regulatory structures to cope with the progressively severe environmental impacts of automobile increase.

This study explains the various influences of the Japanese automobile industry on industrial development in both Southeast Asia and Europe.

Despite the economic and political importance of the U.S.-Japan relationship and the extensive attention paid to automotive trade, few American scholars or policy makers are familiar with the history of Japanese government-business relations, either generally or for specific industries such as passenger cars. This book hopefully helps in a small way to fill that gap in our knowledge and, thus, to help strengthen the foundation from which we make public policy decisions about bilateral trade. [ix]