Prioritising critical success factors of total quality management in autonomous driving business models: A comparison between Germany and China

Abstract

As one of the most strategically relevant and financially promising developing industries, the requirements for autonomous driving (AD) systems´ reliability are dramatically higher than in the driver-based car industry. Using the analytic hierarchy process method, this study conducts a quantitative empirical study to prioritise the 15 critical success factors (CSFs) of total quality management (TQM) in the AD-ecosystem. The CSFs are derived from VDA and IATF 16949, two widely accepted TQM-frameworks in the car industry. Comparisons are made between Germany and China as two of the most important places in the world for strategic marketing for autonomous driving.