XiaoTong Column · 2025-07-18

Risk Compass”Automobile whole – vehicle logistics in China”

I. Industry Risk Analysis

(1) Policy Risk

Currently, the policy risks in the automotive vehicle logistics industry are mainly concentrated in the policy – making and implementation stages:
Policy – making end: The state has put forward higher requirements for the green and digital transformation of the logistics industry. However, the detailed rules regarding the penetration rate of new – energy transport vehicles and carbon emission accounting are not yet clear. There is a risk that frequent standard adjustments may lead to a sharp increase in compliance costs.
Policy implementation end: There are significant differences in the regulatory scales for over – limit and over – load, transportation qualifications, etc. across different regions. Cross – regional transportation faces the risk of “conflicting law – enforcement standards”.
Policy evaluation end: The granularity of industry data collection is insufficient. If there is no buffer period for policy adjustment, small and medium – sized logistics enterprises may be quickly eliminated due to the lag in technological transformation. Entrepreneurs need to be vigilant against the risk of misalignment between the rhythm of policy iteration and market adaptability.

(2) Economic Risk

From the perspective of economic cycle fluctuations, the automotive vehicle logistics industry is facing dual squeezes on the demand side and cost side.
– During the economic downturn, the weakening demand for automobile consumption leads to the contraction of the production capacity of automobile manufacturers. The growth rate of logistics orders slows down. Given the heavy – asset nature of the industry, the proportion of fixed costs is high (such as warehousing and transportation capacity investment). When the business volume fluctuates, it is prone to cause idle losses.
– Coupled with the misalignment of the global supply – chain repair cycle, the costs of oil prices, labor, loan interest, etc. remain high. However, the logistics service price is restricted by the cost – shifting ability of automobile enterprises and is difficult to rise synchronously, putting pressure on the enterprise’s profit margin. Entrepreneurs need to be vigilant against the “stagflation – type” risk combination of insufficient market increment and intensified competition for the existing market share, and prevent the operational breakdown caused by tight cash flow.

(3) Social Risk

The automotive vehicle logistics industry is facing structural risks caused by the change of inter – generational consumption concepts:
– The increasing environmental awareness of Generation Z has led to a surge in the demand for new – energy vehicles. However, the existing traditional transportation network lacks special transportation equipment for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, resulting in a mismatch of transportation capacity.
– Young consumers demand logistics visualization and flexible delivery, forcing enterprises to carry out digital transformation. But there is a gap in the technological adaptation of old employees.
– The intensification of the aging population has led to a shrinkage of the driver and loader groups, and the sharp increase in labor costs has squeezed the profit margin.
– The requirement of carbon peaking on the policy side forces enterprises to invest in clean – energy transportation tools, which forms a double – investment pressure with the demand for fuel – vehicle transportation caused by inter – generational consumption differences.

(4) Legal Risk

Entrepreneurs need to be vigilant against three core legal risks in the automotive vehicle logistics industry: transportation safety, contract performance, and environmental compliance.
– In the transportation process, vehicles with incomplete qualifications, over – load and over – limit, and drivers with non – compliant qualifications will trigger penalties under the Road Traffic Safety Law.
– During the warehousing stage, damage to goods or delivery delays are likely to cause contract disputes. In particular, new contract forms such as electronic waybills have the risk of difficulty in providing evidence.
– With the stricter supervision of VOCs emissions, if the environmental protection indicators of warehouse coatings, cleaning agents, etc. are not up to standard, enterprises will face suspension of production for rectification.
– In cross – border logistics, enterprises also need to deal with the sharp increase in compliance costs caused by changes in import and export commodity inspection and tariff policies. Multiple compliance pressures directly affect the operational stability of enterprises.

II. Entrepreneurship Guide

(1) Suggestions on Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Currently, the entrepreneurial opportunities in the automotive vehicle logistics industry are concentrated in smart logistics and new – energy vehicle service innovation:
– Build a digital transportation capacity scheduling platform to integrate the idle transportation capacity of small and medium – sized transportation enterprises, and improve the intelligent matching efficiency of vehicle sources and cargo sources.
– Develop special transportation equipment and a full – process safety monitoring system for new – energy vehicle battery transportation according to its particularity.
– Lay out the supporting logistics network for the rural penetration of new – energy vehicles, and establish a county – level transfer and distribution system.
– Use the Internet of Vehicles technology to realize the visual tracking of vehicles on the way, and embed supply – chain financial services to solve the capital turnover problem of small and medium – sized carriers.

(2) Suggestions on Entrepreneurial Resources

Entrepreneurs in the automotive vehicle logistics industry need to prioritize the integration of transportation networks, warehousing nodes, and digital management system resources. They should focus on reducing initial investment through the sharing model. For example, cooperate with regional logistics parks to establish distribution centers, access third – party transportation capacity platforms to obtain stable vehicle sources, and use Internet of Things devices to realize real – time monitoring of vehicle trajectories.
– Synchronously connect with the regional distribution order resources of automobile manufacturers, bind core customers to form a stable business flow, and introduce supply – chain financial tools to relieve the pressure of account periods.
– On the policy side, apply for subsidies for new – energy logistics vehicles and green – channel qualifications, and use the resources of industry associations to obtain industry data and standardized process support, so as to build a light – asset, highly flexible resource – collaboration network.

(3) Suggestions on Entrepreneurial Teams

Entrepreneurs in the automotive vehicle logistics industry should give priority to forming a team with a composite background in logistics management, the automotive industry, and technology development. They should focus on recruiting members with experience in transportation capacity resource integration and background in automobile manufacturer supply – chain management, and be matched with talents in intelligent scheduling system development.
– The core management team needs to have the ability to handle emergencies. A full – time compliance officer should be set up to deal with regulatory risks such as vehicle transportation qualifications and special vehicle management.
– Establish in – depth cooperation with the person – in – charge of regional logistics outlets through equity binding. Allocate a full – time financial control position according to the long – term account period characteristic of the industry. Adopt a grid – based division of labor mechanism to ensure the response time of the national network, and maintain a 20% flexible and mobile establishment to meet the seasonal fluctuating demands of automobile manufacturers.

(4) Suggestions on Entrepreneurial Risks

Entrepreneurs in the automotive vehicle logistics industry should focus on transportation safety and cost optimization.
– First, establish a digital transportation management system to realize the intelligent collaboration of route planning, vehicle scheduling, and resource matching. Use GPS + Internet of Things devices to monitor the status of vehicles on the way in real – time. Cooperate with insurance companies to customize transportation insurance to reduce the risk of cargo damage compensation.
– When quickly building a regional service network through the self – operation + franchise model, formulate a standardized operation manual and support it with an AI video monitoring system to prevent the operational risks of franchisees.
– Closely follow the changes in new regulations for new – energy vehicle transportation, and make early arrangements for special transportation equipment for electric vehicles.
– When expanding incremental markets such as second – hand car circulation and cross – border automotive logistics, it is recommended to adopt a light – asset operation strategy of jointly building transfer warehouses with automobile manufacturers and deeply binding with cross – border e – commerce platforms.

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