Tech play and global play in the automotive industry - mediating goal conflicts with platform-based ecosystems

To maximise profits, traditional automotive companies have to invest heavily both in new technologies, e.g., for connectivity, autonomy and sharing, as well as in international operations in the international growth markets. At the same time, capital markets are pushing automotive companies very strongly towards 'asset-light' strategies. Therefore, multinational automotive companies are now increasingly facing goal conflicts between investments and 'asset-light' strategies, for which they have to seek solutions through mediation. It is expected that the use of digital platforms across company and country boundaries in innovation and transaction ecosystems can significantly reduce the use of resources. Hypotheses have been derived and tested in an empirical study of 286 global automotive companies. The results show that it is possible to realise 'asset-light' strategies of technology expansion and internationalisation in ecosystems and to mediate goal conflicts.