Geography

Supplier network geographies of the electric and autonomous vehicle (EAV) industry

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In this paper we compare and contrast the characteristics of supplier networks between automobile incumbents and newcomers by examining their technological and geographical attributes. Specifically, we ask how inter-sectorality in supplier networks contributes to incumbent or resilient advantage in the emerging Electric and Autonomous Vehicle (EAV) industry. By developing an inter-sectoral analysis of supplier networks, we seek to introduce a combined and nuanced interpretation of the transformation of the automobile industry both technologically and geographically. We draw on literatures of industry evolution to complement scholarship on global supply chains, global commodity/value chains (GVCs), and global production networks (GPNs) to address gaps in the current understanding of inter-firm relations. We build on the insights of recent research that so far emerged separately -- on electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous vehicles (AVs) -- and use a data-driven approach to analyze the evolution and geography of the emerging electric and autonomous vehicle (EAV) industry. The EAV industry is transforming automobiles into ‘computers on wheels’ or ‘vehicular-Internet-of-Things’ with implications on the existing geographies and supplier networks. Using data from a financial database, we examine the inter-sectoral and geographical attributes of the global supplier networks of four automobile assembly firms that include two incumbents (Ford, Toyota) and two newcomers (BYD, Tesla). © 2026

Publication Title

Progress in Economic Geography

Publication Date

6-2026

Volume

4

Issue

1

ISSN

2949-6942

DOI

10.1016/j.peg.2026.100072

Keywords

automobile industry, electric and autonomous vehicles, geography, incumbents, newcomers, supplier networks

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