Chinese car manufacturers are steadily pulling ahead of their German peers in innovative stength, according to a new study.
Chinese players on the market recently accounted for 46% of global innovative strength, the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) in the western German town of Bergisch Gladbach said on Thursday.
In 2019-2020, Chinese car manufacturers still accounted for 21% of innovative strength. German manufacturers fell behind overall, their innovative strength plunging from 45% to 23% in this period.
The competition from China overtook three main German car manufacturers for the first time in the 2022-2023 ranking, which includes innovations already in mass production.
CAM has been compiling and annually updating the report since 2005. The current results include more than 700 innovations from 30 groups with more than 100 car brands.
The authors assess subjects by their degree of innovation, customer benefit and originality, and other parameters. The period currently analysed spans from February 2023 to January 2024.
According to the data, five Chinese manufacturers ranked among the top 10 most innovative car manufacturers for the first time.
However, Bavarian manufacturer BMW still leads the pack, having fielded many innovations in automated driving and the range and charging performance of electric cars.
Chinese companies Geely and SAIC follow BMW in the ranking, scoring strongly in electromobility, driver assistance systems and operating and display concepts.
According to the centre's founder and study director Stefan Bratzel, the industry is experiencing a "tectonic shift in the balance of power in favour of Chinese automotive companies."