Production and Innovation in the Automotive Industry: A comparison of Germany and Italy

However, since the turn of the millennium, these countries have experienced very different developments, which is having a major impact on their positions in the current transformation.

This paper therefore aims to compare the situations of the automotive industries in Germany and Italy, which have pursued very different strategies since the turn of the millennium.

Particular focus is placed on comparing the research performance of the two countries, as measured in terms of transnational patent applications.  

Without active research in the future-oriented fields of electrified powertrains and autonomous driving, it will be more than difficult to maintain the production location in the future.