For the next decade, the future of the automotive industry lies in BRIC’ countries. Together, Brazil, Russia, India, and China will account for some 30 percent of world auto sales in 2014 while also offering significant opportunities for cost-effective R&D, sourcing, and manufacturing. The authors analyze the degree of localization of leading TNC and supplies in each BRIC country, for each function, compare localization across BRIC countries, assess the future development of these markets, compare local capabilities and resources, and identify particularly promising combinations of functions and countries. Key trends in developing countries include continuing liberalization and globalization, increased foreign investment and ownership, and the increasing importance of follow-source and follow-design forces.

The article concerns the trends and factors of national automotive industry formation in BRIC countries. Special emphasis is made on localization of R&D activities, final assembly operations and components production by global automotive companies in BRIC countries. It systemizes the factors of investment opportunities of different developing markets. It is concluded that active state regulation is playing the principle role in localization and catching-up process in automotive industry in developing countries. The comparison of the automotive industry in BRIC countries allows shedding light on the economic processes of emergence at large. There is a stark contrast in the capacities of development of the sector in these countries. This contrast serves as an analyzer between the modes of sector opening and the paths of technological catching-up that is the core of the phenomenon of emergence. The analysis and best practices presented in the topic, while focusing on the BRIC countries, are applicable also to other rapidly developing economies.