Reconsidering automotive development strategies in Argentina in the light of the ASEAN experience

Abstract

We compared the Argentinian automotive industry’s trajectory since 2000 with those corresponding to three ASEAN economies: Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. We aimed to identify factors explaining the divergence among the four cases and to draw valuable conclusions for the re-design of Argentinian automotive policy. First, we considered the productive and foreign trade performance among the four cases. We then reviewed key industrial policies conducted over the period. Comparative analysis highlights the Thai experience, which posted outstanding performance on both industrial expansion and trade surplus. Moreover, we examined the high potential for selective policies incentivizing specific products and technologies, which can promote private strategies more aligned with macroeconomic stability and industrial development in Argentina.