Evolution Characteristics and Driving Mechanism of ‘Bottom-up’ and ‘Top-down’ Endogenous Automobile Industry Clusters: A Comparative Study in Taizhou and Wuhu, China

Bottom-up and top-down endogenous automobile clusters exhibit distinct evolutionary traits and driving mechanisms, yet their comparative analysis remains understudied. Therefore, using Taizhou automobile industry cluster (TAIC) and Wuhu automobile industry cluster (WAIC) as cases, using historical statistical data and field interview data from the 1980s to 2023, combined with qualitative research methods of thematic and diachronic analysis, and quantitative research methods of social network analysis, we compare both endogenous automobile clusters’ evolutionary traits and driving mechanisms. The results confirm both clusters undergo multi-scale spatial reconfiguration, organizational complexification, and intelligent networking technological transformation, yet diverge fundamentally: TAIC evolves through market-driven progressive expansion, transitioning from single to dual-core structures via private enterprise networking, with innovation following market-integrated logic and institutional thickness built on demand-driven evolution. Conversely, WAIC follows planned expansion, maintaining state-led hierarchical single-core stability through policy-driven breakthrough innovation and supply-dominated institutional construction—though both ultimately require formal-informal system synergy. Their co-evolution is driven by dynamic interactions of path dependence (weakening influence), learning-innovation (strengthening influence), and relationship selection (inverted U-shaped trajectory), with divergent development paths rooted in TAIC’s grassroots self-organization genes versus WAIC’s top-level design genes, amplified by core enterprises’ strategic disparities. The research findings can not only provide decision-making support for China’ s industrial upgrading, but also contribute China’ s insights to global economic governance.