Reflections on China’s Transformation of the Car Industry, Part H: Solution: Be Agile and Innovative 👍

In the end, innovation in engineering — leading to high productivity — is what wins competitions.

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Agile software development, rooted in Lean car manufacturing principles, emerged during a pivotal revolution in the 1980s. Now, we are witnessing another, much greater, transformation in the automotive industry — one that may offer valuable lessons. In this series:

• Part A: The Disruptions
• Part B: Lure Tesla to set up factories in China and Learn
• Part C: Seek Top Talents and Follow Their Advice 👍
• Part D: Traditional Car Manufacturers Reluctant to Evolve 👎🏾
• Part E: Faking Efforts with “Show Ponies” 👎🏾
• Part F: Lacking on Plan B and C 👎🏾
• Part G: Acknowledge Mistakes
• Part H: Solution: Be Agile and Innovative 👍

I began this series on December 31, 2024. While some might view these articles (on EVs) as a departure from my usual focus, long-time readers likely anticipated that my conclusions would circle back to software development.

Indeed, the core of this article series is my advice to Western software companies: prioritize innovative…