The automotive industry towards environmental sustainability. Some evaluations on China, Europe, and Italy.

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The study analyses the recent dynamics of the global automotive market, highlighting a growth in the weight of Chinese manufacturers to the detriment of Western manufacturers. The policies supporting the demand for electric cars in China are analysed and a comparison is made with European policies for the energy transition. The analysis highlights that the Chinese incentive system has favoured continuous technological innovation that has raised the level of performance of vehicles and reduced their production costs. This, combined with the availability of raw materials, enormous economies of scale and professional skills, has allowed an "overtaking" of the traditional Western leaders.
The work offers some reflections aimed at preserving and developing the European automotive sector also by reviewing the current EU regulations and discusses possible forms of cooperation with Chinese producers. With reference to Italy, after having briefly analyzed the peculiarities of our production system mainly made up of SMEs, some considerations and proposals are put forward with a view to enhancing our supply chains within global value chains. The possibility of making investments and guaranteeing adequate salaries is discussed also in relation to the issue of the dimensional growth of Italian SMEs. Finally, the possible positive implications of an effective adoption of the principles of technological neutrality and of a review of some substantial aspects of European policies relating to the green transition are briefly discussed.