About The Authors

Smitka Research

See above all the 2017 book I co-authored with Peter Warrian, A Profile of the Global Auto Industry. Other published work was incorporated, sans footnotes and other academic paraphernalia. The book begins with two chapters on the industry's global history – the first on the creation of multiple national olipolies, and second on their breakdown of those oligopolies. It includes chapters the driving force of safety and emissions regulations on innovation as seen through the PACE competition, on the use of roadmapping as a coordinating mechanism across the supply chain, on new materials, on geography, and on new labor patterns. I have ongoing projects on New Energy Vehicles in China, the geography of Chinese automotive suppliers, on the potential of the industry to be affected by "disruption," and book chapters (published or forthcoming) on NAFTA and on energy use in the Japanese transport sector. The former is reflected so far in 4 articles on the investment website, SeekingAlpha:
  1. Tesla China: As good as it gets? January 19, 2022;
  2. China NEV Segment Analysis: BYD, VW, And Geely Stand Out, August 2, 2022;
  3. Tesla's Thin Model Pipeline, August 23, 2022; and
  4. Storm Clouds In China: Luxury Automotive Beware, November 29, 2022.
A long-dormant book project, drawing upon research done during my 2006-7 sabbatical living in the Tokyo suburbs, remains dormant. I did develop the chapter tracing the evolving retail sector, with presentations at the Japan Economic Seminar, the Industry Studies Association and elsewhere. My project title, "Ordinary Japan," traces the shift towards a suburban, car-based lifestyle, with women pursuing education and careers, families residing not in "rabbit hutches" but in spacious condominiums, and many similar changes. The net effect is that Japan is no longer "exotic" but rather looks "ordinary" from a European or American perspective. One presentation was an invited March 2015 lecture to Asian Studies students at James Madison University. It was standing room only, and problems with the PA system put my singer's ability to project my voice to the test. The result, "China: Lessons from Japanese Economic History," combined my decades of research on the Japanese economy with my teaching about the Chinese economy. A covid hobby has been learning to read Chinese. So far I've applied my growing skill to the Chinese auto industry, but this talk suggests many other directions in which I extend my analysis. This link ought to work: China's Challenges: Lessons From Japan – 日本からの教訓.
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