Mittelgeber: Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR) 

Laufzeit: 2026 bis 2029

Leitung: Prof. Dr. Daniel Schiller, Dr. Yang Liu

Bearbeitung:  Dr. Yang Liu

The AUTO-Asien research project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), investigates the role of Asian actors in shaping the ongoing transformation of the global automotive industry, with a particular focus on developments in Thailand and Vietnam. The project examines how automotive manufacturers and investors from Japan, South Korea, and China are driving technological change, restructuring production networks, and influencing industrial development in Southeast Asia amid the transition toward electric mobility.

The project focuses on Thailand and Vietnam as two contrasting yet interconnected cases of automotive industrial transformation. Thailand, often referred to as the "Detroit of Asia", has developed into a major regional automotive production hub, supported by an established supplier network and long-standing investments from Japanese automakers. However, the transition toward electric mobility, alongside increasing investments from Chinese manufacturers, is challenging existing industrial structures and competitive relationships. Vietnam, by contrast, represents an emerging automotive production location, characterized by ambitions to establish domestic automotive brands, such as VinFast, while attracting investment and technological expertise from foreign manufacturers. Comparing these two countries provides valuable insights into different pathways of industrial development, upgrading, and restructuring.

AUTO-Asien examines the interplay between the strategies of East Asian automotive firms and the policy responses and institutional conditions in Thailand and Vietnam. Particular attention is paid to how foreign investment, technological change, industrial policies, and regional development strategies interact in shaping the transition toward electric mobility. By adopting a comparative perspective, the project seeks to advance the understanding of how global investment strategies and local institutional contexts jointly shape industrial transformation.

Beyond its academic contribution, the project offers important insights for Germany's automotive industry and industrial policymaking. As German manufacturers and technology providers navigate the transition toward electric mobility and increasingly complex international competition, understanding the strategies of East Asian competitors and the changing automotive landscape in Southeast Asia is becoming ever more relevant. Through academic research, knowledge exchange, and policy dialogue, AUTO-Asien aims to contribute to debates on industrial transformation, international investment, and sustainable mobility while strengthening research cooperation between Germany and Southeast Asia.