A Study on National Image and Brand Competitiveness in China’s Electric Vehicle Market: Discourse-based Network and Core-periphery Analysis Approach

A Study on National Image and Brand Competitiveness in China’s Electric Vehicle Market: Discourse-based Network and Core-periphery Analysis Approach

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the competitive strategies of national and brand-specific actors within the Chinese electric vehicle market. Design/Methodology/Approach - This research is conducted through the analysis of discourse data. We collected approximately 38,000 documents related to electric vehicles from Chinese online portals, underwent preprocessing to distill around 5,400 words, and extracted the top 50 words based on centrality, along with data concerning 12 countries and 8 brands. A 2-mode network analysis on the co-occurrence frequencies of these words was performed. Additionally, a core-periphery analysis was utilized to identify which words play central roles within the network. Findings - In this paper, we found that China, the USA, and South Korea show strong connections with key terms such as ‘battery,’ ‘market,’ ‘sales,’ and ‘investment.’ Influential brands identified include BYD and Tesla, with notable performances by Hyundai and Kia Motors. The core-periphery analysis revealed that China, South Korea, the USA, and Japan are actively engaging in the market, with South Korea occupying a more central market position than the USA. In contrast, European countries and traditional internal combustion engine brands have not formed significant networks, nor have they acted as core players. Research Implications - This study suggests that in the Chinese electric vehicle market, both national image and brand show path dependency, requiring strategic management at a systemic level. Furthermore, electric vehicle companies should advance their marketing, sales, and service strategies according to government policies and consumer segmentation.