Connected cars in China: Technology, data protection and regulatory responses

China will be one of the major players of the future connected car industry because of its still growing domestic market, increasing technological advantages in ICT, data processing and platform services, strong industrial investment, and very dedicated industrial strategy and support from the central government. This contribution first reviews the recent developments of the connected car industry in China with respect to technology, innovation, major players and some emerging problems. Further, it discusses the major existing problems and difficulties of China’s new generation car industry, including lack of certain core technologies such as computing chips, complex road circumstances, weak data privacy protection, and platform services security, among other things. This is followed by a detailed discussion of the multiple regulatory responses from the Chinese state authority that has taken the smart car industry as one of China’s future key growing sectors capable of overtaking the west. This includes clear strategic police makings, tremendous financial support, experimental spirits and practices, considerable privacy law updating, etc. In concluding, this contribution offers valuable predictions and advices for both Chinese and foreign players to better engage in China’s increasingly competitive but promising connected car market.