At the end of the XX - beginning of the XXI century, serious changes are taking place in the sectoral structure of the world economy, which are primarily associated with the intensification of the transnationalization of economic life, the increasing influence of regional economic integration processes on the development of the world community, and the increasing role and place of individual developing countries in the international division of labor and reproduction processes. They are particularly pronounced in the automotive industry, which is one of the most significant segments of the modern world economy and has a significant impact on the development of international trade, cross-border capital flows, and international scientific and technical cooperation.

1. THE MAIN TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY IN ASIA

The latest trend in the development of the global automotive industry is characterized by the fact that commodity expansion has been replaced by cross-border movement of production, the formation of industry complexes on a global scale [Ivanov, 2003, p. 30]. If in the 60 - 80s of the XX century the leading role in the automotive industry belonged to economically developed countries, then at the end of the last century it became obvious that accelerated economic growth in a number of countries in Southeast Asia, in particular, in the newly industrialized countries, revealed opportunities for the dynamic development of the automotive industry. Demonstrating unprecedented GDP growth rates (about 8-10% per year), these countries have made a serious bid for leadership in the long term in many sectors of the material production sector.

Although the development of the automobile industry in Southeast Asian countries began after the Second World War, for a number of reasons, most Asian countries did not become automobile powers, which, in our opinion, is due to the low demand of their domestic markets for automotive products due to the corresponding low solvency.

The Asian region's share in global passenger car production increased from almost zero to 38% in the 20th century, and Japan has been one of the world leaders for several decades, producing more than 10 million passenger cars in the early 2000s (the leader of the Western European region-Germany - produces a little more than 5 million, France - about 3 million). pieces) [Rodionova, 2002, p. 123]. In the decade 1960 - 1970 alone, the volume of automobile production in Asia increased almost 10-fold, and the projected annual growth rate of the Asian automobile industry (excluding Japan) is 9.3% (for comparison, in the markets of developed countries, these rates are more modest - about 0.2 - 0.4% per year [Smirnov, 2004(1), p. 57], and in some countries there is even a clear trend towards a decrease in car production).

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The dynamics of the development of the Asian automotive industry in comparison with other markets is clearly demonstrated in the following table:

Table 1

Share of individual regions in global passenger car production, 1929-2004 (%)

Regions

1929

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2002

2003

2004

Europe

9.6

13.7

39.6

48.0

42.0

41.8

41.0

38.4

30.1

USSR / CIS

0

0.8

1.1

1.4

4.1

2.9

2.5

2.6

2.4

America

90.4

85.5

55.7

34.1

27.5

22.5

22.3

19.7

29.3

Asia

0

0

1.4

13.8

23.1

31.0

32.4

36.2

36.8

Africa

0

0

0.8

1.0

1.0

0.7

0.8

0.7

0.7

Australia and Oceania

0

0

1.3

1.6

1.2

1.2

0.75

0.9

0.7

-----

Source: http://www.oica.net/htdocs/Main.htm/данные International Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

From the above data, it can be seen that the Asian region is characterized by the highest growth rates of automobile production, which is associated both with the intensive development of the automotive industry here and with the loss of the leading positions in the automotive industry by the American region in the 50s - 60s of the last century.

Today, the automotive industry is one of the most important sectors of the national economy for many Asian countries. Although Japan, China and South Korea remain the leading car manufacturers, cars are also produced in countries such as India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam.

See the table below. 2 shows data on the production of vehicles 1 in these countries in recent years:

Table 2

Vehicle production in Asia in 1999-2004 (units)*

A country

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Height, %

Japan

9895476

10144347

9777191

10267315

10266318

10511518

6

China

1829953

2069069

2334440

3286604

4443686

5070527

177

South Korea

2843114

3114998

2945329

3147584

3177670

3469464

22

India

818193

796185

814611

894796

1160626

1511157

85

Thailand

322761

325888

459418

564951

742062

927981

188

Iran

119419

141546

323215

462075

567019

717700

502

Taiwan

353000

361800

271704

333699

386686

430814

22

Indonesia

89007

292710

279187

299257

322044

396800

345

Malaysia

254090

284600

358785

395380

345000

372916

46

Philippines

30662

41840

42297

43000

53777

55000

77

Pakistan

15000

31500

17195

25000

51692

50520

233

Vietnam

n / a

6862

10673

12317

21432

25000

264

Total Asian countries

16567975

17579775

17635047

19732178

21558171

23539397

42

Share of Asian countries in global production, %

29

30

31

33

36

37

-

The world at large

56258892

58295557

56304925

58994318

60618600

64071715

13.9

-----

* Compiled and calculated based on the materials of the International Automobile Manufacturers Association (www.oica.net/htdocs/Main.htm).

1 The category "vehicles" includes passenger cars, light trucks, heavy trucks, and buses. The share of passenger cars is about 80%, although it varies from region to region.

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As can be seen from the data presented, the automotive industry in almost all countries, with the exception of Japan and South Korea, is on the rise. This, in our opinion, indicates the high potential of emerging markets and, on the contrary, the oversaturation of the markets of the two countries mentioned above with a high level of economic development. Over the past five years, the Asian automotive industry has grown four times faster than the global one, and its share has steadily increased from 29% to 38%. This was mainly due to a reduction in production in traditional European markets. It is also clear that the growth of car production in the region is associated with a sharp jump in the development of the automotive industry in China, which in recent years has reached the fourth place in the automotive industry, first overtaking South Korea (2002), and then France (2003). According to our estimates, by 2006, China will come close to the level of manufactured in Germany , the world's third-largest automobile manufacturer. According to the forecast of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of the People's Republic of China, in 2005 China will produce and sell 6 million cars and become the third automobile power in the world.

Good prospects for growth of automobile production in Asian countries in comparison with other economically developed countries are confirmed by the already high production rates in them (Table 3):

Table 3

Car production by leading countries of the world (thousand units)

A country

1999

Fraction, %

2000

Fraction, %

2001

Fraction, %

2002

Fraction, %

2004

Fraction, %

Total,

including:

56259

100

58296

100

56305

100

58840

100

64071

100

USA

13025

23.2

12800

22.0

11425

20.3

12275

20.9

11989

18.7

Japan

9895

17.6

10144

17.4

9777

17.4

10257

17.4

10511

16.4

Germany

5688

10.1

5527

9.5

5692

10.1

5469

9.3

5569

8.7

China

1830

3.3

2069

3.5

2334

4.1

3251

5.5

5070

7.9

France

3180

5.7

3348

5.7

3628

6.4

3693

6.3

3666

5.7

South Korea

2843

5.1

3115

5.3

2946

5.2

3148

5.4

3469

5.4

Spain

2852

5.1

3033

5.2

2849

5.1

2855

4.9

3011

4.7

Canada

3059

5.4

2964

5.1

2533

4.5

2628

4.5

2711

4.2

Great Britain

1974

3.5

1814

3.1

1685

3.0

1821

3.1

1856

2.9

Mexico

1550

2.8

1935

3.3

1841

3.3

1821

3.1

1585

2.5

-----

Source: World motor..., 2001, 2003; Perspektivy..., 2003, p. 6.

The automotive industry has also developed intensively in Asian countries because these countries are still characterized by a low level of car availability per capita compared to developed countries, although in recent years there has been a growing trend in this indicator:

The reasons for the unprecedented dynamics of the automotive industry in Asia have long been the subject of controversy among many domestic and foreign economists. The Asian approach to the development of the automotive industry, which has become widespread in many studies, is, in our opinion, the most effective at the current stage of the world economy development. The essence of this approach is as follows:

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Table 4

Passenger car availability in Asian countries compared to the largest developed countries (units per thousand inhabitants)

A country

1990

2002

A country

1990

2002

The whole world on average

91

141

India

2

6

USA

573

481

Thailand

14

n / a

Japan

283

428

Iran

25

n / a

Germany

386

516

South Korea

48

205

France

405

491

Indonesia

7

n / a

Great Britain

341

384

Malaysia

101

n / a

Italy

476

542

Philippines

7

9

Canada

468

559

Pakistan

4

7

China

1

7

-----

Source: World Development..., 2005; Quality of life..., 2005.

* development of the automotive industry in the absence of own capacities through investment cooperation with foreign concerns;

* focus on technological independence in the production of components and own car models, large investments in R & D;

* strict protectionism, import substitution and the requirement to localize automobile production as the main strategy for attracting foreign investment; in the future - active export of products;

* Active state intervention in the development of the industry [see, for example, Javadov, 2004, p. 11].

The Asian car market differs significantly from the American or European ones in a number of principles. You can even distinguish the Asian market as a "state within a state", which lives according to its own rules, independent of external influences. Thus, the Japanese automotive industry has a strict division of the model range into cars for domestic and foreign markets. Those cars that are sold in Japan may never be able to see and buy an American or a resident of Germany. The latter is due to the fact that these machines are much more advanced than those that are exported. This is largely due to the Japanese mentality and strict requirements of the domestic market in the field of ecology, economy and style. New models appear in Japan much more often. If in the West, car manufacturers update the model range every 5 to 7 years, then the Japanese and Koreans update models for the domestic market in 3 to 4 years.

The dramatic acceleration of scientific and technological progress that began in the world at the end of the 20th century and a significant increase in the allocation of major corporations for research and development (R & D) gave rise to profound qualitative shifts in the Asian automotive industry and a technological leap in the design of the car itself. In the 1990s of the last century, a kind of technological consolidation of the industry took place in various forms, functions and at different levels of interaction. Giving the car new quality characteristics is provided by the latest developments in the field of R & D and new materials, modern production methods (including large-scale use of flexible production systems), progressive organization of cross-border production.

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It seems that the above factors determine the special position of the Asian automobile industry in the world economy and contribute to its entry into a qualitatively new level of global competitiveness at the beginning of the XXI century.

2. CORPORATE STRUCTURE OF THE ASIAN CAR MARKET

Multinational corporations in the global automotive industry are huge production and financial structures with a wide network of branches and subsidiaries abroad. The transnational nature of international business in the modern automotive industry is determined primarily by the latest conditions of globalization of world economic relations and the need for companies to adapt to the changing conditions of international competition in the automotive market.

The automotive industry of the world is the most monopolized branch of the global industry. Only ten leading automobile companies in five countries account for more than 80% of the world's car production [Shchenin and Smirnov, 2005, p. 366], which has led to extremely intense competition among leading automotive companies both in the global and Asian markets.

The corporate structure of the Southeast Asian car market is characterized by three main features::

* presence on the market of the largest independent Japanese car manufacturers (primarily Toyota, Honda, and Nissan corporations), which have assembly plants both in Japan and in other Asian countries;

* Presence of relatively independent Korean manufacturers in the market;

* the presence of a large number of assembly plants in all other countries of the region with the participation of the capital of the largest foreign concerns.

The data in Table 5 clearly characterize the balance of power in the Asian car market:

Table 5

Car production by major multinational corporations in Asia (thousand units)

A country

Total

USA

Germany

France

Italy

Japan

Corporation

GM

Ford

VW

Peugeot

Fiat

Toyota

Nissan

Honda

Japan

6726

-

-

-

-

-

4152

1350

1224

China

459

30

27

316

54

-

-

-

32

Taiwan

243

-

50

-

-

-

81

-

37

Thailand

127

9

-

-

1

-

63

32

36

Indonesia

120

-

-

-

-

-

109

-

9

India

78

-

-

-

-

46

21

-

11

Iran

52

-

-

-

52

-

-

-

-

Philippines

25

-

-

-

-

-

13

-

12

Malaysia

18

-

-

-

-

-

12

-

6

-----

Note: The table does not show countries where the largest TNCs produce less than 10 thousand cars. Source: World Investment..., 2002.

In addition, the largest Japanese automobile corporations are not limited to production and sales activities within the Asian region. After the first Japanese assembly plant of Honda entered the US market 20 years ago (created to overcome the "voluntary" restrictions imposed by Japan on the supply of cars to the United States), five more Japanese companies were built in the country, now producing 2.4 million cars a year.

page 108

US $ (21% of requirements). Thus, as a result of its activities in the American automobile market, the Japanese Toyota received the main part of its profit of $ 8.8 billion in 2002. [Business Week, p. 88 - 91.].

At the same time, automotive "globalization" on the American model is in full swing in the automotive industry in Asia, where serious battles for the local market have been going on for a long time. The American concern General Motors (GM) has thoroughly gained a foothold in the Japanese market, having bought 50% of Toyota shares, 49% of Isuzu, 10% of Suzuki and 20% of Fuji. Now the German Daimler-Chrysler group is also actively operating here; in recent years, it has generally pursued a very aggressive offensive policy [Lukyanov, 2003].

Now in Asia, small South Korean companies in the face of Sangyong, which was recently acquired by the powerful Daewoo Corporation, are next in line. And now, probably, Daewoo itself is soon in danger of being absorbed by Daimler-Chrysler. And, despite the active development of national automotive systems in Asia, the tone in the processes of globalization in the global automotive industry is still set by the largest concerns of the United States, Japan and Germany.

South-East Asian automobile corporations are characterized by a high level of transnationalization. In other words, the transnationalization index (an integral indicator that assesses the role of international activities for a company and is based on such indicators as the number of employees employed abroad, foreign assets and foreign sales) for these companies is quite high and, according to the calculations of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), fluctuates at the level of 60-70% [World Investment..., 2002]. In general, the foreign economic expansion of Asian automobile corporations follows and is influenced by the main factors of internationalization of the company's activities, which are noted in the domestic literature [Movsesyan and Libman, 2000, p. 59]. These factors include the possibility of making more profit abroad, developing new markets, merging with competitors, bringing production closer to the consumer, achieving optimal production sizes, etc.

Although the automotive industry in Southeast Asia is one of the most dynamically developing in the world, its corporate structure is still dominated by foreign multinational corporations. But today's experience, for example, in a country like China, shows that in the future it is possible to displace foreign companies from the domestic markets of individual countries. But it is not even this factor that determines the role that the automotive industry of Asian countries will play in the global economy. First of all, foreign investment of Western countries in the automotive industry of Asia is the creation of a powerful industrial, scientific, technical and technological base for the economic growth of countries, a source of social stability. This means that, whatever the corporate structure of the Asian automotive industry, its dynamic development will in any case contribute to accelerated economic growth in the countries of Southeast Asia and, ultimately, increase the competitiveness of the economies of these countries.

3. NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURING COMPLEXES

Although, as mentioned above, the Asian automobile industry is characterized by high production growth rates, nevertheless, companies from different countries have chosen different approaches to the development of the national automobile industry. This is due to the needs of countries, the level of their economic development, as well as the opportunities for developing their own automotive industry, which has determined the current nature, structure and scale of the industry's development in different countries.

page 109

It should be noted that all national automobile manufacturing complexes of Southeast Asian countries can be divided into three groups with a sufficient degree of conditionality:

- developed countries-giants of the automotive industry (Japan, South Korea);

- Major developing car manufacturing countries (China, India, Thailand, Iran, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia);

- countries whose role in the automotive industry in the region is insignificant (Philippines, Pakistan, Vietnam), i.e. countries where the automotive industry has developed within the framework of only one or two assembly plants. In these countries, the industry does not have broad prospects for development, and the main part of the final products consumed in the automotive industry is imported from other countries in Southeast Asia.

Since the share of the latter group of countries in total car production in Asia is insignificant and amounts to only 0.4%, then exclusive attention will be paid to the national car markets of the first two groups.

3.1. Global automotive giants

The largest economically developed countries that produce cars in the Asian region, of course, are Japan and South Korea. Their specificity lies in the fact that the automotive industry was formed with the direct participation of national capital, and foreign investment did not play a dominant role in the formation and development of the automotive industry.

Japan

The automotive industry is one of the leading sectors of the Japanese economy. After the defeat of Japan in World War II, the development of the automotive industry was artificially slowed down by the introduction of various prohibitions and restrictions, in particular on the production of products, by the headquarters of the occupation forces. In addition, the import of foreign cars caused considerable damage to the industry at this time. Officially, it was banned until 1949, but cars were imported by Americans.

Specialists of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry (MVTP) Japan believed that this industry should become a "locomotive of industrial development". The International Chamber of Commerce and Industry recommended limiting car imports and creating its own base for the industry's growth.

On June 26, 1950, the Korean War began. To support military operations, the United States began to buy steel, automobiles, textiles and many other products from Japan. American special orders allowed such automobile companies as Toyota, Nissan and Isuzu to become one of the leading industrial companies in the country. Gradually, company profits grew, and with them, capital investment.

The government has taken strict control over the development of the industry. Having strengthened its financial position at the expense of orders from the US Army, having updated equipment, the Japanese automobile industry began to develop rapidly. By the end of the 1950s, it ranked second among other industries in terms of investment, and in the 1960s it came out on top. At the state level, the task was set to improve the reliability of Japanese products, primarily cars, based on the fact that the main tool in the competitive struggle in the future will be quality. This turned out to be far from easy, and the success of the Japanese automobile industry in foreign markets came only in the late 1960s, when a production system was created that ensured optimal production scales, low costs and, most importantly, high efficiency.,

page 110

excellent quality of cars due to strict control at each workplace by a direct contractor who is also highly qualified.

The automobile industry in the 1960s really became the "locomotive" pulling the country's economy. The growth rate of production in it was significantly higher than the world-striking growth rate of the Japanese economy as a whole in those years. From the very first steps, even in the most difficult years, the industry was export-oriented. However, domestic demand was also very high, especially in the second half of the 1960s, which is why exports did not exceed 20% of production until the 1970s. Nevertheless, in terms of value, by 1970 it already accounted for 8.2% of the country's total exports. Of the 3.2 million cars produced that year, 726,000 were exported [Tebin, 1998, pp. 2-6].

Already by the 1970s, the Japanese automobile industry had developed as a fairly competitive industry not only in the domestic but also in the foreign market. Japanese companies began to produce compact and economical cars that consume relatively little gasoline, but are distinguished by high quality performance and relatively low prices. This was made possible by higher labor productivity than that of competitors, and it was ensured by extensive automation and better organization of production processes. So, Japan was ahead of the United States and other countries in the production and use of industrial robots in the automotive industry.

However, the Japanese automotive industry also faced serious problems. The domestic market of the country is almost already saturated to the limit. Japanese car companies have taken over a significant part of the market in other developed countries. Every fourth car sold in the United States is Japanese-made. Japanese car companies captured 11 % of the UK market and about 10% of the German market. The so-called "automobile war" broke out.

Under the threat of the "automobile war" escalating into a sharp political conflict, Japanese car companies were forced to "voluntarily" restrict their exports to the United States, Canada and some Western European countries. But soon Japanese companies found other ways out, including expanding production abroad, organizing joint production and sales with foreign companies, and creating multinational corporations.

One result, as they say, is obvious: this is the construction of modern factories in many countries that produce Japanese cars. However, there is another result - in Japan, some automobile factories had to be closed, so domestic car production declined, many jobs disappeared, and unemployment increased.

Of course, the course of events was also influenced by the long-term economic depression in Japan, but it is impossible to deny the obvious fact: in the conditions of market glut (which is typical today for the automotive industry in many economically developed countries), an increase in the production of a company in one country inevitably leads to a reduction in production at its enterprises in Japan is a clear example of this. In 1990, the country produced 9948 thousand passenger cars and 3499 thousand trucks, in 2000, respectively, 8363 thousand and 1728 thousand. At the same time, the production of Japanese cars outside Japan increased (Kuznetsov, 2003). The total domestic production capacity is currently estimated at about 14 million vehicles per year. According to trade unions, the industry employs about 850 thousand people, including 160 thousand at assembly plants and 690 thousand at factories that supply components. The industry reached the peak of domestic production in 1990. -

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13.49 million vehicles. Then production declined slightly, and only by 2002 there was a slight upward trend in production. Moreover, in these years, the share of passenger cars in the structure of vehicles produced in the country has sharply increased (Table 6):

Table 6

Automobile production in Japan in 1950-2004 (units)

Year

Passenger cars

Share of passenger cars in the total volume of vehicles, %

Total vehicles

1960

165094

34.3

481551

1980

7038108

63.7

11042884

1990

9947972

73.7

13486796

1992

9378694

75.0

12499284

1994

7802037

73.9

10554119

1996

7863763

76.0

10345786

1998

8055763

80.1

10049792

2000

8363485

82.4

10144847

2001

8117563

83.0

9777191

2002

8618348

84.0

10257309

2003

8478328

82.4

10286318

2004

8720385

83.0

10511518

-----

Источник: http://www.jama.org/statistics/motorvehicle/production/mv_prod_year.htm (Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc.).

In the 90s of the last century, the share of automotive products in Japan's GDP was approximately 10%. This is the largest branch of the national manufacturing industry in terms of sales. 5-6 million cars are sold annually on the domestic market. The total annual turnover of all automobile companies in the country is about 25 trillion yen ($230 billion). US$). If the total cost of the final products of the global automobile industry as of 2002 was approximately $ 1.5 trillion, then Japan's share is $ 342 billion (including components, which accounted for 13% of the country's industrial production, or 23% of the global volume) [World Market..., 2002, p. 10].

Naturally, over the past 30 years, the Japanese car fleet has also grown steadily, with the most intensive period of growth occurring in the period of the 80-90s of the XX century. (Data on the passenger car fleet are presented in graph 1):

Schedule 1

Dynamics of the Japanese passenger car fleet in 1975-2004 (million units)

Source: Structure of the Japanese automobile fleet..., 2005; 2004-author's assessment.

page 112

The global automotive industry at the beginning of the XXI century is entering a new stage - the stage of globalization. Japan actively cooperates in the global "Program for the Development of the Automotive Industry", which involves seven countries with a developed automotive industry (USA, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Sweden). These countries account for 3/4 of the world's car production and 2/3 of new car sales. All participants of the program agree that strict trade restrictions, protectionism and market isolation are incompatible with the development of the global automotive industry.

There is a consensus of opinion on the above, but there are also differences between the participating countries on the timing of the creation of such a market, which is due to a rather tough competition, both "commercial" - between leading companies, and "political" - between states seeking to maintain or increase the share of "their" companies in the global car market. Japanese companies are preparing for this struggle, most of which believe in solidarity that the domestic market should be filled with local production, providing employment, and indigenous technological secrets should be preserved within the country.

In Japan, since it is an island state, the focus of the automotive industry on ports is quite clearly expressed. Most of the Japanese automobile plants are located between Nagoya and Tokyo, and the main flow of export cars passes through these ports [for more details on the location of the world's automotive industry, see Rodionova, 2000]. As well as the German auto industry, Japanese car manufacturers are also very export-oriented. The share of exports in their production has been growing steadily since the 60s of the last century and continues to this day (Table 7).:

Table 7

Passenger car exports from Japan (units)

Year

Passenger cars

Total vehicles

1960

7013

38809

1970

725586

1086776

1980

3947160

5966961

1990

4482130

5831212

2000

3795854

4454887

2001

3568717

4166089

2002

4012371

4698726

2003

4080494

4756339

-----

Источник: http://www.jama.org/statistics/motorvehicle/exports/mv_exports_year.htm (Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc.).

Schedule 2

Change in the share of exports in total automobile production in Japan (cars and trucks in general)

-----

Источник: http://www.jama.org/statistics/motorvehicle/exports/mv_exports_year.htm (Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc.).

page 113

Looking into the new century, most experts state that the balance of power in the global automotive industry has changed in favor of Japanese companies and therefore recommend using the Japanese experience in organizing production and management whenever possible. The Japanese automotive industry is leading the world in terms of low production costs. According to foreign experts, this leadership is noticeable, for example, in the organization of inventory management. According to economists, if General Motors could manage its inventory as efficiently as Toyota, it would be able to free up several billion dollars that it has frozen in warehouses and workshops in the form of work-in-progress, raw materials and components. Inventory items are frozen funds. By reducing them according to the "just-in-time delivery" system, Japanese companies create significant reserves to fight in price competition in foreign markets. Despite the fact that the average annual inventory per car of Japanese companies in the 1980s increased slightly, they do not exceed $ 100. by car. For American companies, they remained at the level of several hundred dollars.

Unlike large American companies, which tried to reduce production costs by increasing the number of cars in a series, Japanese companies began to focus on the introduction of flexible production systems that allow them to produce small series of models on a single conveyor, with a well-developed "just-in-time delivery" system, which sometimes satisfy personal customer requests only when the customer is ready to buy a slight increase in price.

Japanese companies ' management focuses on creating global production systems that are considered to be more stable than in individual countries, and less susceptible to political and economic disasters that may occur in a particular country. It is planned to reduce suppliers, focus on those that provide global standards based on the latest technologies. It is also taken into account that different regions have their own advantages in the manufacture of certain products. Inter-regional cooperation in the production of components, according to Japanese economists, will reduce production costs and make better use of competitive levers. The goal is to establish a just-in-time delivery system on a global scale, which has proven to be effective in Japan, but this will be a new, higher and more complex level [Tebin, 1998]. In turn, the simplification and modernization of production systems used by the largest Japanese corporations is increasingly becoming the basis for the restructuring of automobile manufacturing in economically developed Western countries [Konina, 2000, p.96].

According to Japanese experts, the industry needs to be reorganized within the country as well. It is necessary to reduce excess capacity, which has actually already begun. Eleven companies are considered too many for the industry. Reducing their number will help streamline production.

Corporations Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi and several other automobile companies in Japan, a total of eight organizations, have set a course to join forces in solving the problem of recycling old and abandoned cars. By January 2005, a joint base had been established in accordance with the obligations of automobile companies to reallocate resources and dispose of the scrap left over from disassembled cars. If the cost of recycling is reduced and the cost of recycling is effectively managed, it will be possible to reduce the cost burden of owners of recycled cars to about 20 thousand yen per car (about $ 150). US$). Due to the possibility of processing the most burdensome, technically complex pressed car parts, their disposal, following the disposal of household and office equipment, will become truly real.

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South Korea

The automotive industry of South Korea is an example of a fairly successful development of vehicle production.

In its development, the South Korean automobile industry has passed through four stages and fully corresponds to the so-called goose flock paradigm proposed by the Japanese researcher K. Akamatsu. In accordance with this concept, first products enter the economy through imports, then, due to growing domestic demand, new local production facilities are opened, and finally, surplus products are exported [Bodrova, 2001, p.39]. At the first stage of development (until 1973), the country only assembled cars from imported components. In the period up to 1982, the company created its own base for the development of the automotive industry. The next stage - 1983-97-is characterized by mass production and export of cars. Finally, the fourth stage is the stage of globalization of the Korean automobile industry, which continues to this day [Automobile Industry of South Korea, 2005].

Like other sectors of the economy, the automotive industry in South Korea was subject to strict state regulation, resulting in the creation of the famous chaebol (prototypes of modern multinational corporations) - large multi-profile family holdings. These structures received significant benefits from the state in exchange for the fact that they will unquestioningly use the government's proposals in the development of automotive industries. These chaebols at an early stage included the well-known Hyundai Motors, Kia, as well as Asia Motors and Shin Ju (Asia Motors later merged with Kia, and on the basis of Shin Ju, a joint venture was created with the participation of the American corporation General Motors and Daewoo). The plan for the development of the automotive industry of South Korea until 1974 assumed that by 1980 the volume of production at each company would reach 50 thousand units per year, and the share of domestic components - up to 91%.

Kim Tae-jung's government, which came to power in early 1998, at the height of the 1997-1998 Asian crisis, announced radical economic reforms. In accordance with the new ideas, the multi-disciplinary chabol giants should be transformed into groups of independent specialized companies. The traditional multidisciplinary nature of chaebol was already perceived as a sign of their serious structural weakness. In addition, the government tried in every possible way to destroy another tradition of chabol - their national isolation, to turn them into" real " multinational companies (Chabol-Crisis of Giants, 2003).

As part of the reform program in 1998-2001, a radical restructuring of the Korean automobile business was carried out. The main target of the reforms were those features of chaebol that make them different from Western companies, and, accordingly, look "wrong" from the point of view of current economic orthodoxy. Such" wrong "features include the multi-profile nature of concerns, as well as the family-clan nature of firm management and the associated "opacity" of their management. Of course, Chaebol's huge debt was also a concern.

These changes were not the result of a game of "free market forces" - the reforms were carried out in full accordance with the Korean tradition: under government pressure and in deep dependence on the strategy chosen by the authorities. As a result of the reforms of recent years, all five automobile companies that operated in pre-crisis Korea have changed their owners. The exception was partly Hyundai Motors, which retained its previous management, but in October 2000, the company was re-established.

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it was forced to separate from the Hyundai holding. In many ways, this measure has benefited Hyundai Motors, as in recent years the holding company has experienced serious problems and could later share the fate of Daewoo. Several independent companies have emerged on the basis of Hyundai. The exact number of "small businesses" is not yet known, as the complex system of cross-ownership of shares (as well as disputes between the three heirs of the late founder of chaebol) turns the division of chaebol into a complex event, the results of which are not yet clear.

The most rapid growth of automobile production in the country occurred in the period 1985-2004, and even during the Asian crisis (1997 - 1998), automobile production, although slower than before, but grew:

Schedule 3

Dynamics of automobile production in South Korea in 1980-2004 (thousand units)

-----

Source: Data from the National Industrial Information Agency (NAPI) ; Data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association http://www.kama.or.kr

The period of rapid motorization of Korea and the corresponding growth of the domestic market, as can be seen from the graph data, occurred in the 1980s-1990s. The construction of a nationwide expressway network and the redevelopment of cities contributed to this, but the decisive factor was the sharp increase in incomes of the population - the result of the record pace of economic development of the country. If in 1980 there were 249 thousand passenger cars in South Korea (6 per 1000 people), then by 1985 their number reached 557 thousand, by 1990-2 million, and by 2003 - 10.2 million (210 cars per 1000 inhabitants).

The total number of vehicles in Korea's fleet at the beginning of 2003 was 13.9 million vehicles, and in 2003 the number of vehicles registered in the country was already 10 million units. As of July 1, 2004, there were about 14.8 million cars per 48 million South Koreans. In most cases, these are passenger cars (10.5 million units, or 71% of the total fleet) (Table 8). Today, the process of motorization of the population of the Republic continues, but at a more restrained pace - the market is gradually saturated. The Korean automobile fleet is expected to reach 20 million units by 2009.

Table 8

Automobile fleet of the Republic of Korea (units)

Year

Total

Passenger cars

The buses

Cargo lines

Special equipment

1999

11164319

7837251

993641

2298189

35238

2000

12059861

8084005

1427663

2511055

37138

2001

12914613

8889349

1257424

2728464

39376

2002

13949441

9737430

1275318

2894412

42281

2003

14587333

10278940

1247095

3016461

44837

-----

Source: Data from the National Industrial Information Agency (NAPI).

page 116

The structure of the Korean car fleet is dominated by locally produced cars - the domestic market of Korea still remains quite closed to foreign companies, despite the fact that the tariff restrictions introduced under Park Jung-hee were lifted in 1996 in accordance with the Korean-American agreement on automobile trade. In 2000, the share of foreign products accounted for 0.4% of domestic sales, while in 2003 this figure increased slightly and amounted to 2.4%. In addition, it should be noted that almost all foreign cars imported to Korea are expensive executive cars that are bought by particularly wealthy Koreans mainly for reasons of prestige.

A characteristic feature of the Korean fleet is the predominance of middle-class cars. A typical Korean car is a fairly large five-seat sedan with an engine capacity of 2-2.5 liters, costing up to 15-18 thousand dollars. (for example, Sonata). All cars are air-conditioned, and the automatic transmission has almost completely replaced the manual one. Small businesses also prefer small trucks or minibuses, which they use both for official purposes and as family vehicles.

The average annual mileage of a private passenger car in Korea is significantly higher than in other developed countries - 23 thousand km. For comparison, in Japan this figure is 10 thousand km, and in the United States-14 thousand km. However, such a car does not last long: the average duration of operation of a Korean car is the shortest in the world, only 7.6 years (in Japan-15 years, in the USA-16.2 years) [Automobile industry of South Korea, 2005]. After 4-5 years, a new car, the price of which by that time is reduced almost fourfold, is sold to a poor buyer. The new owner (a low-income student or a foreign worker) uses the vehicle for several more years, after which it is sent to the landfill - it is almost impossible to find buyers for a car older than 8-9 years in Korea. Note that quite recently (before the increase in customs duties on used foreign cars in Russia) such cars were delivered in batches to the Russian Far East.

In recent years, the development of the automotive industry in South Korea, as well as the automotive industry in Japan, has been characterized by a high share of exports in the total volume of cars produced (64% in 2004) {Table 9):

Table 9

Indicators of development of the Korean automobile industry in 2003-2004

Indicator

2003

2004

Height, %

Production, thousand units

3178

3300

3.8

Domestic sales, thousand units

1318

1200

-9.0

Export, thousand units

1815

2100

15.7

Export, mln USD

174

207

19.0

-----

Source: http://www.kama.or.kr/eng/R&s/Rsoften_e?key=Manufac (data from KAMA - Korean Automobile Manufacturers Association).

The total volume of motor vehicle production in the country has increased by 7% over the past three years and reached a record value of 3 million units in 2004. The country ranks sixth in the world in terms of car production-after the United States, Japan, Germany, China and France. A distinctive feature of the Korean automobile industry is its active foreign economic expansion, as evidenced by the fact that over the past year alone, the growth rate of car exports from the country was four times higher than the growth rate of their production. It means

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increasing saturation of the domestic market and the need to develop new promising markets for the sale of automotive products.

(To be continued)

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