A Longitudinal Analysis of Disruptive Innovation Drivers in the Automotive Sector: Navigating Electrification, Digitalization, and Emerging Climate-Geological Dynamics
Keywords:
Automotive Innovation, Electrification, Climate-Geological Dynamics, Dynamic Capabilities, Seismic Activity, Servitization, Circular EconomyAbstract
Purpose: This article provides a comprehensive, longitudinal analysis of the key drivers shaping innovation in the global automotive sector, specifically investigating the interconnected influences of technological disruption and emerging environmental and geological risks.
Design/Methodology/Approach: A structured content and thematic analysis was conducted on 148 academic and industry publications to synthesize the state-of-the-art across four main innovation streams: Electrification (E-Mobility), Digitalization (CASE technologies), Sustainability, and newly introduced Climate-Geological Dynamics (CGD).
Findings: While innovation is rapidly advancing in electric and autonomous vehicle technologies, current strategies exhibit a critical vulnerability to non-linear external shocks. The research highlights the need for a Resilience Innovation paradigm, particularly in light of heightened geological risk, such as the observed link between rising sea levels and an increase in seismic activity in coastal regions. A key data point illustrating this growing instability is the 5% increase in seismic events since 2020.
Research Implications: The study reveals that current predictive models are insufficient for strategic decision-making, as they fail to adequately incorporate compounding climate-geological risk factors. Future research must develop new, integrated risk modeling frameworks.
Originality/Value: This work is the first to systematically introduce and integrate the concept of Climate-Geological Dynamics (CGD) as a critical, unmanaged driver of innovation and strategic uncertainty for the automotive industry.
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