Mobile communication technology and consumer demand: Empirical evidence of China's automobile industry

Panwei Xiang, Lianren Wu, Muhua Wei and Jiayin Qi

Research in Transportation Economics, 2025, vol. 113, issue C

Abstract: With the extensive adoption of electrification technology in China's new energy vehicle market, traditional automakers are accelerating their transition towards electrification, thereby reshaping the competitive landscape. Meanwhile, mobile communication technology, which serves as the foundation of networking and intelligent development, not only facilitates the rapid emergence of new automotive manufacturers but also introduces novel opportunities and challenges to the new energy vehicle industry. This study employs a discrete choice model to empirically analyze how network configuration impacts the sales of new energy vehicles, aiming to explore how network connectivity empowers these vehicles in the post-subsidy era. The findings demonstrate that: (1) The mobile network configuration can positively affect the market share of new energy vehicle products, among which consumer satisfaction plays a partial mediating role. (2) From the perspective of specific network configuration, the impact on automotive market share is mainly driven by the role of 4G network, while the impact of 4G to 5G network upgrade is a gradual process. (3) For domestic car brands and car brands with relatively low prices, network integration plays a more obvious role in improving the car market share.

Keywords: Mobile communication technology; New energy vehicle; Consumer purchase demand; Discrete choice model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0739885925001131
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:retrec:v:113:y:2025:i:c:s0739885925001131

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/supportfaq.cws_home/regional
https://shop.elsevie ... _01_ooc_2&version=01

DOI: 10.1016/j.retrec.2025.101630

Access Statistics for this article

Research in Transportation Economics is currently edited by M. Dresner

More articles in Research in Transportation Economics from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().